The Massacre
by Afroz
Summary: Jim Kirk's got the good life - a wholesome family, above average academic skills, a pretty girl by his side and a new name. But not all good things last forever do they? In Kirk's case, it didn't even last eight months. Sequel "The Broken Road" has been uploaded. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is the completely re-written version of the story. I came in after about a year and noticed my writing was childish at best. So, I scrapped it all and I'm starting over again. I'm back with a meatier plot and good enough writing (I hope). I've already completed four chapters and working on the fifth. Leave me reviews, if you enjoyed it, have pointers, etc.**

**Disclaimer:** Star trek belongs to gene Roddenberry and Paramount and whoever else signed over the dotted lines.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_Star date: 2247.180_

The shuttle landed in the depot with a dwindling whirr of the engines. The two-day long trip had finally come to an end and the passengers were more than happy to get out for some fresh air. The pinkish glow of the setting sun cast an eerie glow to their faces. Many of the passengers were greeted by their friends and relatives waiting in the open yard, holding out placards.

The final passenger, James Kirk, all but fourteen years old searched the crowds for a familiar face. Standing on the right side corner of the group was a middle-aged man with fair hair swept to one side, a jacket on his back and one hand holding the tiny arms of a little boy, who could only be his son. The boy was holding a placard with the words "JT Kirk" written in bold red. James sorted through the luggage that was being spewed out through a carousel to find an old, worn duffel bag. He hoisted it to his shoulders and walked slowly towards the boy, waving an arm to catch their attention.

The little boy caught sight of him, nudged his father and pointed at him. The man let go of his son's arm and came forward to greet him, his boy trailing behind him.

"Jim! How good to see you!" he said, holding out an arm. Jim grasped his hands, giving a firm shake.

"Nice to see you too, Uncle David" he said, giving the man a warm smile. He then ruffled the little boy's hair "How ya doing Max?"

The boy grinned, showing two broken teeth "Awesome!"

David Rice laughed "Well, come on. Your aunt is cooking up a storm! Let's not make her wait".

He made to take the duffel from Jim "No, no… it's okay, Uncle David. I got it". David took the duffel from him anyway "Don't be silly, son. Who's got Max then?" he said, already moving away.

Max looked up at Jim with hopeful eyes. Jim mock-sighed, but grinned anyway ruining the effect "Guess that'll be me"

Jim put an arm over Max's shoulders, following David Rice outside the depot to his hover-car.

* * *

Dinner that night had been one of the best nights (nope, scratch that - _the_ best night) in Jim's life. He had laughed and talked and been treated as part of the family, as if it had been that way for ever.

He had quite effectively forgotten that, he was here because his step-father had refused to take him in after being held in prison for a night for driving the antique Corvette into the quarry.

He had forgotten that his brother had left him with that freak of a step-father, to get away from his problems.

He had forgotten that his mother was in Deep Space and could not come to get him, even though she had wished for it with her life.

He was not angry at his mother. No, he couldn't be. She was a kind, loving woman, who had stayed at home to raise her sons with practically no money. She had tried getting jobs, but she was over-qualified and an Engineering degree from Starfleet Academy guaranteed a job only in, well, Starfleet itself. And rural Iowa was no place to be with brains like hers.

Running out of money and options, she had to take up a job in Starfleet again to make ends meet. She had gotten married to Frank Damon, out of love (partially), but also for having someone to care for her sons when she was away. He was a good man, a widower and a budding journalist for a small news agency in Iowa. All would be well, or so she believed.

She always took up the shortest missions possible to spend more time with her children. But, as luck would have it, the great storm of 2244 wreaked havoc in most parts of Iowa. It destroyed the agency Frank worked for, and was closed down. Frank had searched for jobs, but the whole state was in a recession, and he had to settle for a pathetic desk job. Winona's meager Ensign Salary was not sufficient and she would have to accept a long-standing promotion to earn a sufficient amount for her family. But, accepting her new Lieutenant position meant longer missions and less time to spend with her kids. And then, the chaos began.

It was about the same time, when her kids were growing into their teenage years. It was only natural to rebel, but Kirkian genes probably have a double dose or something with their need to rebel.

Sam had always despised Frank, for replacing his father, and the older he grew, the more frustrated he was by his excuse of a father. Frank, already depressed with his shitty career path, took to smacking him when his potty mouth got out of hand, which was a lot. Frank tried to avert his thoughts, by taking up alcohol and drugs, which worsened his anger at Sam. Jim, who had always been the model student in school, idolized Sam in a naïve way (the same way all little brothers idolize their older brothers). He was convinced that what Sam did was right, and started emulating him, and got tossed around by Frank. It was enough to drive Frank mad.

So, no, Jim did not hate his mother, but he_ hated _Frank in every way possible. It was almost a relief that he was here in Tarsus IV with his mother's brother and his family, who had readily accepted Jim and asked him to live with them. Winona was overjoyed, and had produced divorce papers to Frank from Deep Space, but also worried sick for her first son who ran away.

And here Jim was, spending time with people who were more family to him than Frank could ever be.

* * *

**A/N: I know it's a small chapter! But don't worry, as the story progresses they will be longer.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Just telling y'all again that the story has been completely re-written. To my followers and favoriters, please read from Chapter 1. I promise you, its better than before! Reviews are love. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_Star date: 2247.182_

David and Megan Rice worked as Research Specialists in the Tarsus Science Facility for Research and Development. They had been directly recruited to the new colony that had been established two years ago. It has been only two months since they have made themselves home in Tarsus IV.

Their only son, Maxwell Rice was to be attending the Periwinkle Primary School in a few days. David had suggested Jim to enroll in the Periwinkle High School. Jim had taken up the offer and written the entrance tests to score 100%, shocking the teachers.

The Headmistress of the school, a kind, old woman, had suggested Jim to make better use of his brains by joining the Omega Advanced Super-Secondary School, which was basically like Junior College, but the graduates were recruited directly to top research companies. Aunt Megan was thrilled and had been very encouraging, when Jim was accepted into OASS.

"You sure got your mother's brains, Jim" Uncle David had said, making Jim swell with pride. It was not often that people compared him to his mother. It was always him versus George Kirk. It didn't help that Jim looked more like George than Sam did. Though people said Jim looked very much like his father, Jim always thought he was like his mother. Her sharp nose, her mischievous smile were some of the many things Jim had inherited from her.

It was a happy occasion, and Aunt Megan had treated him to an elaborate dinner for the family. He felt happier than he had ever been, but a twinge of sadness throbbed in his heart when he wished he could be a happy family with Sam and his mother. He shook away the feeling but made it a point to comm his mother and break the exciting news of him getting accepted to OASS.

"That's my boy! I can't say how proud I am of you Jimmy. I really am!"

"Thanks, mom. But... it costs a little higher that the ordinary schools. Like three times more. And I don't want Uncle David spending that much on me."

Winona shook her head exasperatedly, but not without fondness "Jim, why do you think I'm here out in space instead of with you? Everything I earn is for you, sweetheart. You don't worry about stuff like money. I'll set up an account just for you and you can withdraw any time you want."

"Thanks, mom"

"How's David and Megan? Are they treating you well?"

"They're fine. Better than Frank"

Winona's eyes grew wistful. "Jim" she whispered with so much emotion in that one word, that he felt his heart break a little "I am so sorry for putting us all in this mess. You have to understand that I had to do it, because I had no choice"

"I understand mom, I really do. But it doesn't make me hate him any less"

"That's fine, Jim. That's how I feel too" she said, a small smile inching up her lips.

Jim, outright smiled, but then frowned "Did you find Sam?"

Winona's face fell "I've asked some people I know in Starfleet to help me locate him. We'll definitely find him Jimmy"

Jim nodded. There was the beeping of a PADD coming from Winona's side. Winona ignored it, but looked at Jim, like she couldn't get enough of him.

"Mom, you've got a call waiting for you"

"I don't care"

"Mom, it's okay. We'll talk later" Winona shook her head.

"Fine! Don't yell at me later, when Captain Favreau gives you a good dressing down for ignoring his call"

Winona laughed "I'm not even going to ask how you knew it's him"

"Oh! Because, he's been the one to interrupt four of our previous calls, and I'm pretty sure he does it on purpose…"

Winona looked mortified "James!" she yelled. Jim laughed, bringing a smile to Winona's face.

Winona's eyes became glassy, but she held it in as she said "I love you, Jim. Always"

Jim had to be strong for her, and not make her more miserable. He replied, putting in all the sincerity into his words "Love you too, mom" and for good measure, added cheekily "See ya later."

"Goodbye, Jimmy" she laughed and the comm went blank, leaving a smiling Jim in his room.

* * *

_Star date: 2247.243_

September descended bringing in a gust of much-desired rain. Rains in Tarsus were quite frankly mini-storms. It would rain mildly throughout September, and bring in a cyclone during November. People couldn't complain, the sweltering summers from April to August did that to them. Being an Earth colony, 95% of the residents were human and the only other species were Vulcans, who were here on research purposes. The Vulcan children, predictably, were enrolled in OASS.

Jim was having a great time in his new school. The students were older than him, by about three to five years. Initially, he had felt a little left out, but he was soon befriended by many of his peers, for his witty charisma and brilliance. He had to work hard here, unlike his previous schools, where he simply floated past without really trying. The teachers were astounded by his brains, and found chances to pick at it whenever they could.

The challenging environment put his troubles out of his mind, and he finally felt at home. David and Megan Rice were good people and they treated him as if he were their own. People thought Jim _was_ their own son.

After all, he was JT Rice.

David had suggested Jim to use his surname to avoid attracting attention to the fact that he was the _Kelvin_ baby. Jim had readily agreed. Though he introduced himself as Jim Rice, the name JT stuck after an embarrassing showdown of whose middle name was worse. The teachers addressed him as Mr. Rice and only four other students knew his name as Jim. Life couldn't be better.

* * *

"Hey, JT! We're having a soccer match tomorrow after-school. Wanna join?" Glenn McGrath, Jim's senior year schoolmate said, slapping a hand on Jim's back.

"You promised we would watch a movie at your home tomorrow!" This was Ashley Renner, Jim's current gal-pal.

"It's after school. An hour tops. You and your girlfriend can do whatever later"

"Count me in!" Jim said, as Glenn jogged towards his gang of friends.

Ashley was pouting, her arms crossed. Jim took her hand in his and said casually "It's just an hour. We're going at seven. Shouldn't be a problem"

Ashley brightened "So, what movie are we watching?" leaning closer to Jim. Jim inhaled the soft scent of lavender, his mind pleasantly buzzing.

Jim had met Ashley in his second month of school. She was a year older than him, but she was a sharp, witty girl. Jim was taken by her almost immediately. She was also a newcomer, having previously lived in a small town in France. Her father was leading the Telecom facilities of the government and her mother was Max's teacher in Periwinkle Primary School.

Her chocolate brown hair was being tossed around by the monsoon wind, a few strands tickling his face. He brushed aside her hair and spoke, lowering his voice seductively "Definitely something adult".

She sniggered "You naughty boy!"

Jim laughed "What? You're telling me you're not the least bit interested?"

"Oh, I'm interested alright!"

Jim took her home and said their goodbyes.

* * *

At dinner, after Max had gone to bed, Jim asked his permission to bring Ashley over the next day. Aunt Megan was surprised that Jim was already having a girlfriend, and very readily started to give him "the talk."

"Jim. Okay, you're fourteen, you're old enough to have a girlfriend and also old enough that we have the 'talk'"

Jim was scandalized "Wha-? Aunt Megan?! We're just watching a movie tomorrow! And I've already had one very embarrassing "talk" with mom when she came home last year, thank you very much!"

"You never know Jim! You think you know it all? Well, then let me test you" Saying so, she proceeded to question him about the male and female biological cycle, use of condoms and whatnot. Even his mom, had only been a little brief. Aunt Megan's version was in excruciating detail.

She corrected him when he was wrong, and made sure Jim knew the basics thoroughly. By the time Uncle David was home, Jim looked outright mortified.

Uncle David gave a quick peck on Aunt Megan's cheek and looked at Jim "I'm guessing Jimbo here has a wonderful lady-friend?"

Aunt Megan laughed "And a pretty one at that! It's Max's teacher's daughter!"

"Well, well Jimmy boy. What can I say? You got yourself a good deal. And before you do anything crazy, I think we should…"

"Please, Uncle David. I don't want to hear about 'the talk' for the third time in my life!" he groaned, pulling air-quotes with his fingers.

David laughed good-naturedly "All prepared then? Good for you. And by the way, Aunt Megan and I have some good news to share"

Aunt Megan nodded, wiping her hands on a towel and went to stand beside her husband. Jim looked questioningly at them.

It was Aunt Megan who said "You and Max are going to get a little sister!"

Jim looked between them, dumbfounded "That's…amazing! Wow! Congratulations!" he said giving a hug to Aunt Megan. She patted his arm "I know. I'm three months in. David and I wanted to tell you when we knew the gender"

"So, Uncle David, does it make you a grandpa now?" he asked cheekily.

David looked flabbergasted "Gran-? I'm just thirty-five, you brat!" he said getting up and lunged towards Jim. Aunt Megan laughed as Jim danced away from him and hurried to his bedroom laughing and yelling behind his back "Good night!"

"Good night honey" Aunt Megan replied, laughing at Jim's antics, while David muttered under his breath.

* * *

**A/N: Chapter 3 will be up on Tuesday!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:I know, I said I'll update on Tuesday, but I couldn't resist. I won't be so generous next time -_-**

**This chapter has an ****_M-rated scene at the end_****, which you can totally skip reading if you wish. I've put up a warning inside, that you can't miss. Also, this is my first sex scene, and I'm really, ****_really_**** nervous to post this. I would love if you could tell me your opinion. Also, there are two songs in that scene 'Love You Like A Love Song' and 'I Want You To Know' both by Selena Gomez. I must say I hadn't even heard of them both before, but my sister was playing it when I was typing this chapter, and I thought what the hell? It did get my creative juices flowing. Listen to them back-to-back to enjoy that scene like I did :)**

**Also, this is a longer chapter, like I promised. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_Star date: 2248.04_

The sky was a deep lavender color, with no trace of clouds. There was a light breeze, ruffling through the leaves of huge neem trees lining the plascrete roads, which were already bustling with activity. The only thing missing was the chirping of birds. Otherwise, it would have looked just like a Terran morning.

Tarsus did not have animals or birds, though it was a class M planet. About a hundred species of insects and small critters had been noted and many more yet to be recognized. The native plants did not have much variety and Terran plants, suitable to Tarsus climate were introduced.

Being a tropical colony, most of the trees and plants resembled that of African and South Asian countries. There weren't many flowering trees, as most of the trees were evergreen to survive tropical climates. Though there were some fruit trees, most of the fruits and vegetables had to be transported from Earth. The only plant which could be cultivated agriculturally was wheat and rice, though wheat was much preferred.

Starfleet made it a point to send two transport ships to Tarsus IV between one year intervals containing fruits, vegetables and meat. This was to be remedied by the Tarsus Research facilities who were trying to come up with a solution to cultivate the fruits and vegetables to sustain themselves.

* * *

Jim woke up to his usual alarm. He got himself showered dressed and went to the dining room for breakfast. Lying on the center of the table was a plate of golden pancakes doused in the words "Happy Birthday" written in chocolate sauce.

"Happy birthday Jim" Max said cheerfully, tucking in to his cereal.

"Thanks, Max" Jim said, a wide grin breaking out on his face. He had totally forgotten his birthday.

Aunt Megan waltzed in from the kitchen, holding a tray of freshly-baked gingerbread men. "Happy birthday honey" she said giving him a quick peck on his cheek. Jim smiled "Thank you".

"This is all yours!" she chirped happily. Max pouted "And for me?"

"Only for the birthday boy!" Aunt Megan trilled from the kitchen.

"You can have them too, Max" Jim politely offered one of the gingerbread men to Max, who happily beheaded one of them with his teeth.

Jim dug in to his rich, warm pancakes, savoring the taste.

David came in, wearing his pajamas and a holo-news PADD in hand. "Happy birthday, son" he said, slapping one hand on Jim's shoulder, making Jim drop a pancake piece from the fork that had been making way to his mouth.

"Oops! Sorry about that!" he said throwing a towel over to Jim. Jim made a face as he wiped the chocolate sauce off of his black tee shirt.

David didn't seem to notice as he resumed scrolling through the PADD reading the news. "You heard, Meg. The supply ships should've been here two days ago"

"I did hear from Hoshi next door. She said that there was some disturbance in the Neutral Zone and all ships in the area were diverted. Probably will be here within a week" Aunt Meg replied, nonchalantly.

The couple discussed more news, but Jim didn't listen as he and Max got ready to go to school. Jim dropped Max off at his school and headed over with Ashley in tow.

They came to the front of the school gates when Ashley led him to the corner of the street, which was nearly empty. She smiled and the pinkish light from the sun caught her face, giving her an other worldly glow. "Happy birthday James" she said and gave a soft kiss on his lips.

"Mmm….you taste like chocolate" she hummed in pleasure after breaking away from the two-second kiss. Jim, who was still dumbfounded by her sudden kiss (his first kiss!) smiled and leaned forward again for more. She held a finger to his lips, her face inches away from his. Jim couldn't stop staring at her soft, pink lips, wondering why he hadn't done it earlier. He looked questioningly at her, drinking in the sight of her green irises with a touch of mascara on her lashes. She breathed "I have a surprise gift for you. My house, 9 pm"

Jim's mind was already racing, wondering what she was having in store for him. "Just one kiss now, please" he begged. She laughed quietly, leaning in to his face; close enough to kiss him, her hands threading through his hair "You'll get more than one from me today, but not now."

She teasingly brushed his lips with hers very faintly, leaving Jim desperate for more. Jim clung on to her waist refusing to let go, when Glenn came from nowhere.

"Holy shit! Get a room, JT. This is _not_ what I wanted to see first thing in the morning!"

"Go away, Glenn! You just ruined the perfect moment" he tossed right back at him, not taking his eyes off her. Ashley gave a laugh. Jim could never get enough of that sound.

"You know, you're already fifteen minutes late" Glenn sneered.

"Shit!" Ashley said, breaking apart from him and all but running to school. She was always a stickler for rules, quite the opposite of Jim. Maybe, that's what attracted him to her. They were so alike, and yet so different. She turned back and gave a cute wink and jogged faster, her satchel swinging by her side.

Jim was grinning from ear-to-ear, the image of her winking at him firmly burned into his retinas.

"Happy birthday JT! You're a damn lucky guy" Glenn said, giving him a firm slap on his back.

"I sure am" Jim said, shaking his head in quiet laughter and walked to his school at a leisurely pace.

* * *

At about 5pm, there was a small party at Jim's home. His friends and neighbors had gathered for two hours of fun and frolic. It had been Jim's first birthday party that was, well, a real party.

His first present was from David and Meg. It turned out to be an antique 2058 Swiss-made steel watch that had belonged to the man after whom he was named, David and Winona's father, Jim Rice. It had to be worth a fortune and it was the first time he owned something so expensive. He gave them a quick hug, thanking them for their gift.

And then, there were more, like a baseball autographed by Richard Donovan, the most famous sports celebrity gifted by Matt Rousseau, the books Iliad and Odyssey by Mike Kenton, a pair of neon blue sneakers from Glenn, a collection of Andorian, Orion and Tellarite works by Ms. Hoshi Sato, Jim's neighbor, and so on.

* * *

Around 7pm, the party was over and Jim helped clean the resultant mess. It took about half an hour to get it all back to normal. Aunt Meg was preparing a light dinner, and Jim offered to help. She assigned him the tedious task of chopping tomatoes, and continued stirring the pot. Jim tentatively asked "Why did you give me Grandpa's watch, Aunt Meg?"

There was no accusation, just curiosity, and Meg found herself smile a little "Because, you're as much a son to us as Max is."

Jim smiled in spite of himself and ventured on "But won't it be better if you gave it to Max when he's older?"

Meg stopped her stirring and turned to face him "Jim, do you think if I had two sons, I would prefer one over the other?"

Jim had nothing in response and waited sensing that more was coming. "Max will get something else, maybe from my father's side, perhaps…" she trailed, probably thinking to herself. She focused on Jim again "Your grandfather always favored your mother more than David"

She hurried on before Jim could interrupt "Now, I'm not saying it's a bad thing. David always had his mother's side with him. But the point is, Jim, if he were alive, I'm sure he would want _you_ to have it."

"Thank you" whispered Jim, and Aunt Meg kissed him on the forehead.

David came in just that moment smiling, "Jim, your mom's on the line" he said jerking his head upwards.

* * *

Jim beamed as he rushed up to his room, and found his mom looking at him out of his computer "Mom!"

"Happy birthday, sweetheart. I'm sorry I couldn't call earlier, but the line got patched through just now…" she explained.

Jim didn't hear anything. Just seeing her was enough. He shook his head "It's alright"

"I hear you had a smashing party from David?" she asked her trademark smile on her face.

"Yeah! It was amazing"

"I wish I could be there with you, sweetheart"

"Me too. I wish Sam was here."

Winona shook her head "I found him, Jim. He's in Australia. Sydney, to be more exact."

_"__What?"_

"I tried contacting him, but he doesn't answer. I know he's in college and doing a part-time job"

"Why don't you just send someone from Starfleet to get him?"

"You know Sam. He'll try to run away and might become untraceable. I've got a friend of mine watching him, so I think its best we leave him alone for some time. You know, let him get his head straight."

Jim nodded absently. Yeah, his brother was a stubborn ass like that sometimes.

He brightened "Guess what Uncle David and Aunt Meg gave me for my birthday?"

"What?" she asked quizzically.

"It's Grandpa's watch!" Jim said excitedly, proudly showing the well-maintained thing on his wrist to Winona. She beamed at him "How wonderful of them! Grandpa would definitely want you to have it."

"Yeah, that's what Aunt Meg said!"

"She's one clever woman, your Aunt."

Jim grinned as he asked "Do you know that she's pregnant?"

"_What?!_ Put David on the line" she all but yelled. Jim laughed and called for his uncle.

David came in and frowned looking at Winona's face "What's the matter, Win?"

"_You_! That's the matter! How _dare_ you hide from me that you're expecting a child?"

David cringed at the sight of his elder sister "I was gonna tell you…" he mumbled trying and failing to come up with a good excuse.

"What is it?" Winona asked, a bit calmer now.

David's eyes gleamed "It's a girl."

"Congratulations, Dave. I can't tell you how happy I am for you."

"Thanks, Win."

A beeping was heard and Winona rolled her eyes. Jim asked laughing "Is that the Captain again?"

Winona grimaced "Yes."

David's eyes widened "What do you mean '_again_'? Are you seeing the _Captain_, Winny? And how is that even allowed?"

"You answered your own question" she said smugly.

She huffed, "I have to be going. Happy birthday again, honey. Bye Jimmy, Dave" and the screen went blank.

"Well, it's getting late. Big day tomorrow. Meg and I might have made a breakthrough in GM crops in extra-terrestrial climate" saying so, he left the room.

* * *

Jim had said that he was going to sleep. Aunt Meg had been surprised when he had announced that at 2030 hours, which was pretty early for Jim. But Jim waved it off, saying that he was too tired after the party, and Aunt Meg understood and accepted it.

But Jim was far from tired. In fact, he felt very much energized. He took a quick shower, taking extra care of himself than normal. He dressed in a plain white short-sleeved tee and worn jeans. He arranged the pillows to make it look like he was sleeping and threw the blanket over them. He made to escape out of the window.

The walk to Ashley's house took only five minutes. He reached the house and contemplated the best way to enter. Just as he made the decision to climb to the window, the front door opened. Before Jim could even hide, Ashley was out.

The street lamp caught off her toned legs and glistened. He had never seen that much of her body before. She was dressed in a simple floral shirt and a hot, pink ruffled short skirt that seemed to be covering only what was necessary. Her hair was loose and styled in loose curls, and her feet stood on three inch wedges.

Jim was knocked off his feet. He just stood gawking at her. She smiled when she saw him and leaned on the front door. Jim tried very hard not to look at her butt, looking more prominent by the short-skirt. He had a pleasant buzzing in his head, and his mind lost control to his heart.

He walked towards her slowly at first, then sprinting and his body smashed into hers, lips locking furiously, hands wandering over her skin, feeling them like it was the first time. She broke the kiss and whispered in his ear "Let's go somewhere private" pulling him inside her house and shutting the door. Jim tensed and asked "Wait! Your parents…?"

"Not here. They've gone out for dinner. Probably won't be back till 12."

Jim kissed her neck, with a new-found confidence. He breathed "So, where's my surprise?"

Ashley laughed "In my bedroom, of course."

Jim was internally whooping, punching his hands in the air. He would have exploded in joy and anticipation.

* * *

***Smut ahead. Read at your own discretion***

As soon as they reached the room, Ashley said "Computer, play music. Playlist 1." The computer chirped in agreement and started playing a 21st century pop song "Love you like a love song" by some woman, Jim couldn't remember the name. The music started slowly when Ashley swooped in kissing Jim furiously. Jim responded with vigor, hands roaming her body, exploring each and every curve. Ashley was threading one hand through his hair, and another gliding along his chest muscles. Jim initiated an open-mouthed kiss, to which Ashley responded tentatively.

_'__You are beautiful, like a dream come alive, incredible, a sinful miracle….'_

He explored the roof of her mouth with his tongue and allowed her to do the same. He bit on her lip lightly and she moaned in pleasure. His hands couldn't get enough of her body. Suddenly, the clothes she wore seemed like an obstruction and Jim pulled against her top, casting an inquisitive look at her. She laughed "I'm all yours, Jim."

That was the key which winded him up.

_'__I, I love you like a love song, baby….'_

He removed the thing off of her and whistled in appreciation. She was fifteen and a half of course, but he had never expected her to look _that_ beautiful. She was wearing a baby pink lace bra that accentuated her full breasts. She grinned "My turn."

She pulled the tee shirt off of him and bit her lip, eyes roaming over his body. Jim was feeling so turned on just watching her, and he pushed her against her bed. They both fell on it laughing, as Jim laid kisses trailing from her neck, to her breast and then along her stomach.

_'__There's no way to describe what you do to me…'_

She started laughing when he kissed her stomach "Jim…that…tickles!" she said between giggles and Jim purposely tickled her on her stomach. She was howling with laughter "Oh…Go-d! St-op…it."

_'__And I want you to know baby,_

_I, I love you like a love song, baby_

_I, I love you like a love song, baby'_

Jim obliged kissing her again on her stomach and looked at her eyes. Her green orbs shone with mirth and he kissed her eyes "You're gorgeous."

She beamed at him and Jim took it as cue to pull down on her skirt. The hot pink was grating on his eyes, though it did look hot on her. She revealed the matching lace thongs that she was wearing. The sight of her wearing only her innerwear and three-inch wedges was sexy as hell.

Jim swooped in to kiss directly at her mound and left a trail of kisses up to her neck. She kissed his chest and tugged at his belt, pulling down his pants. He was already turned on, his penis jutting against his underwear. They took a moment to explore each other's mouths.

Jim was getting harder by the moment and hastily unbuttoned the clasp of her bra, revealing hardened nipples on full breasts. She bent to remove her shoes and thongs and threw them away. Jim mentally committed the image to his memory to be stored forever. He loved every bit of what he saw, enjoyed her beauty, and he wanted her to do the same. He got out of his underwear and both of them rolled onto the bed.

The music built to a crescendo, when Jim started slowly, inserting two of his fingers inside of her, which was already wet, and circled her clit with his fingers. Ashley moaned, and gripped his hair tighter with one hand, and another digging in to his back. Jim sucked hard on her neck, and the tension left her body as she sniggered, starting to enjoy the pain. Jim thrust in deeper, moving his finger in a _come hither_ gesture. She moaned louder when Jim found her G-spot and started rubbing against her "Oh God!" The music stopped and the next track played.

_'__I want you know, that it's our time…'_

Her toes curled and her nails were digging in to his back when he slowly came out of her, fingers dripping wet. "Jim" she whispered breathlessly, her face flushed pink "That was amazing"

Jim kissed her lips and drew back "I'm glad you enjoyed it"

She frowned "You're the one who should be enjoying. This is _my_ gift."

Saying so, she opened a drawer by her bedside and took out a condom and put it on.

_'__I want you to know that I'm all yours, you and me, we're the same force_

"What are you doing?"

"Planning ahead, of course. You know, I read an article somewhere that said 'Men enjoy vaginal sex more than women', so there you go"

"You serious?" he asked incredulously, quite unable to hide his excitement.

_I want you to know that it's our time, you and me, bleed the same light'_

"As I ever will be. Don't worry, I already took my contraceptives shot last week" she nodded firmly.

_'__I want you to know that I'm all yours, you and me, run the same course….'_

The music soared faster and Jim lunged forward and kissed her full on the lips, hard and fast. She whimpered, a small sound erupting from her throat. Jim loved the sound and bit again on her lips. He broke the kiss and looked at her eyes, trying to cultivate her trust in him.

Her eyes were bright with anticipation and Jim looked at her pink lips that had become plump and swollen because of all the heated kissing. He kissed tenderly again and she eagerly reciprocated. His penis was becoming harder and ached for release and Jim moved to lie on top of her. He kissed the inner side of her wet thighs, and licked her juices. He hummed, smacking his lips and Ashley laughed.

_'__I'm better under your reflection, but did you know, did you know, did you know, know_

_That anybody else that's met ya, it's all the same, all the same, all the same glow'_

He thrust into her slowly, savoring the feel of being inside her. She was wet enough to not require any lube and Jim grinded against her. He felt Ashley erupt in goosebumps and kissed them away.

"Jim...harder…keep going" she breathed guiding him in, encouraging.

Jim thrust in faster, harder kissing her deeply, his tongue lashing out, tasting her. He felt every rise and curve of her body, running his hand through her soft hair.

He pulled back slowly as he felt a shiver rise from the hair on his head to the toes of his feet "Oh God! I'm gonna…I'm" Jim couldn't complete as he released full inside her, groaning.

***Smut ends***

* * *

The adrenaline left him drained, exhausted after the workout, and he felt breathless. He rolled on to Ashley's side and lied next to her. Almost at the same time, the music stopped and Ashley spoke "Computer, turn off music" as she cuddled against his chest, somehow feeling smaller than him than usual. "Not bad" she whispered, but he heard it clearly, without any loud music

He smiled "You're not so bad yourself"

She grinned mischievously, still a little out of breath "I would think you were experienced"

Jim laughed "Nope, been a virgin until today"

She laughed "Me, too" then added more solemnly "I'm glad you're my first"

Jim looked into her eyes, summoning up every ounce of sincerity into his words "I'm glad too." He kissed her forehead "You are the most gorgeous" and then kissed her lips "hottest" he kissed behind her ear "sexiest" then her neck "girl I've ever known."

Ashley laughed "Now, we both know that's not true. I am the _first_ girl you've _ever _known."

Jim laughed in spite of himself "Still, you'll always be my best"

She bit her lip and shyly looked at him through her lashes, a faint crease marring her forehead as she asked solemnly "Always?"

Jim could never deny her the truth "Always."

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I know, it all sounds fun and dandy, being a Tarsus!fic. You know what they say, 'Calm before the Storm'!Watch out for weekly updates on Tuesdays! Reviews = love + faster updates.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Star date: 2248.05_

"I think a good number of people guessed what we did last night" Ashley said, sitting next to him in the library.

Jim wasn't surprised. Though she had a turtleneck shirt on to cover the hickeys on her neck, Ashley had that rosy glow in her face that was sure to be noticed. Jim grinned "So?"

It had been the best birthday of his life. He had talked for some time with Ash and had had sex a couple more times, a little slower than their invigorating first. After an explosive one hour, he had taken off to his home and sneaked back to his room, through the window.

"I'm just saying" she said, intertwining her hand in his. All of his classmates knew what was going on between them. It wasn't anything new.

* * *

The days wore on in a pleasant haze. He scored good marks, had an affectionate family, a lovely girl by his side. He lived every moment loving the change from his previous one in Iowa.

He failed to notice that things were not how it seemed. That, the supply ships were yet to come, and it was already a month behind schedule. Life went on, oblivious to the impending calamity.

* * *

The beginning of April ushered in summer with hot winds and clear skies. Water was a little scarce and the government had decided to give out water rations from their reserves. The wheat was getting ready for harvest by the next month, golden stalks tossing in the air like waves.

Aunt Meg was seven months pregnant now and had a baby bump to go with her slender figure. She had stopped going for work two months ago and stayed at home.

Uncle David though, had become a little drawn since February. When questioned, he only revealed that his and Meg's pet project had not been sanctioned. Jim understood and gave them some space, not wanting to be in their way.

* * *

_Star date: 2248.93_

Jim laid the finishing touches to his neatly wrapped present. It was Ash's birthday and Jim wanted to get her a present to remember him by. The gift now neatly wrapped was in his pocket as he made way to Ashley's house.

Soft music thrummed and could be heard two blocks away. There was a party hosted by her parents for their darling girl who was turning sixteen and all her friends were invited. Jim entered the house and was blown away by the loud music. People were conversing, laughing and dancing inside and Jim wove his way between them to find the birthday girl. She was there in the dining area, chatting with a couple of girls.

Jim stopped ten feet away and simply looked at her, drinking her in.

She was clad in a short, Caribbean blue strapless dress and matching pumps. Her hair was shorter, highlighted blonde and fell in loose waves over her shoulder. Her only jewelry was a pair of small diamond floral studs on her ears. She looked stunning and took his breath away.

One of the girls, pointed at Jim, and Ashley turned around to see him. She smiled, said something to her friends and made her way towards him.

"Hi!" she said beaming, and took his hand.

Jim leaned in and whispered "Can we go somewhere private?"

She nodded and led him to her bedroom and shut the door.

Jim took out the gift from his pocket and gave it to her.

Wordlessly, she took it from him casting an inquisitive look, while she opened it carefully.

She was like that, meticulously peeling back the ribbon without tearing them away, savoring the process of unwrapping. Jim, on the other hand, always tore off the wrappers, eager to cut to the chase.

It revealed an indigo colored square box, about five centimeters wide. She opened it to find a thin silver chain and a pendant shaped like a flat rectangle with an engraved A&amp;J. On one side was a slider, which when pushed outward, revealed a small data chip.

"What's this?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Jim jerked his head to the side, indicating her wall-mounted computer. She pushed the data chip into the required slot, and a file opened, containing sixteen pictures. She put it on slideshow and watched.

The first photo was of her and Jim in his birthday party. They were standing under a wreath of streamers, looking into each other's eyes, his hand on her waist and hers on his shoulders. She remembered the incident quite clearly. Jim had given her a birthday kiss and everyone had wolf-whistled.

She laughed quietly "Who took this?"

"My mom" He had gotten so used to calling his Aunt that way when they were outside the home, it came out unhindered.

"That's so wonderful of her. It looks perfect!" she said, taking Jim's hand in hers.

The next few pictures were of them, when the Rice family and Ashley had gone for a picnic by a lake with waters reflecting the pink skies on a Sunday.

There were wonderful shots of Jim and her playing by the lake and also one in which both of them kissed by the lake.

"Sneaky Mrs. Rice!" Ash laughed.

"Yeah, I was so surprised when she showed them to me!" Jim said, beaming.

A couple more shots were of Jim and Ashley sitting under a tree in the Rice's veranda, Ashley leaning on Jim, one with Ash and Jim foreheads together and one more shot of them kissing quite passionately under the same tree.

"How did she take all of these without us noticing?"

"Oh, you know her. She was bored out of her mind, sitting at home when she was five months in. Apparently, she was interested in photography when she was younger. So, there we go!" Jim said airily, waving an arm.

Ashley sniggered. She removed the data chip and put it around her neck. The A&amp;J pendant bounced off her breasts.

Jim leaned in and kissed her fervently. Ashley hummed in pleasure, when the doors opened.

Ashley squeaked and pulled away hastily. Her father Mr. Henry Renner was standing on the doorway looking mildly amused.

"Young man, you're robbing us of our birthday girl"

"Whoa! Yes, sir, I'm sorry. You can have her" Jim hastily replied, as Ashley left the room, blushing.

* * *

_Star date: 2248.132_

"I'm telling you Meg, there's something going on that the government doesn't want us to know. Isn't it odd that the exact hotel where the brightest minds in the field of Extra-terrestrial Agriculture and Terraforming stayed, was burnt down by something as silly as faulty wiring? And, I was talking to Henry the other day, and he said there's still been no contact with the supply ships!"

David was speaking furiously. He had been that way for a week now, since attending the funeral of his colleagues.

Four men and two women, bachelors, staying in a hotel, had come to Tarsus IV for their research. Somehow, their hotel had burned down one night, killing them all and the twelve other residents of the hotel. It had been going on in the news as headlines for four days. The conditions were mysterious, but the police had informed that it was due to some faulty electrical wiring.

"Dave, why don't they just contact Starfleet and let them know?"

"All communications to Starfleet are monitored personally by the Governor. Only he has the access code for that line and nothing comes in or out without his permission. There's definitely something wrong…"

"Hush, Davey! We don't want to spread rumors now. I'm sure the government has enough reserves to last till the supplies arrive."

"I don't know. It's still quite fishy…" Dave muttered.

Jim went into the dining area and the talking stopped abruptly. If he hadn't delayed outside for two minutes to tie his shoe laces, he wouldn't have even guessed that they had had this conversation.

Jim was not considered a genius for no reason. He could put things together when others were still groping for an interlinking thread to tie in the facts.

* * *

The peak of summer settled on Tarsus with temperatures soaring up to 100F, driving the residents away to take refuge in their homes, leaving deserted roads. Businesses were closed during mid-day to stave off the worst of the heat.

The extreme weather brought with it another set of complications, the drying up of their only abundant crop: wheat.

Though wheat could ripen at 100F, the dry soil of Tarsus was no support as half of the crops withered away, or so they were told in the evening news. Also, the death of David's colleagues didn't seem well like an accident. It all sounded suspicious even to Jim's ears.

Jim had noticed the worried look in David's face from the previous night when he had watched the news. If wheat was not available and supply ships didn't get here, there would be a famine.

* * *

Tarsus IV was a colony planet that was roughly the size of Earth's Moon. There were no large water bodies, and only twenty percent of the planet consisted of small lakes and rivers. Only one-fifteenth of the land available on the planet was occupied by the colonists, amounting to an estimate of 8000 people, 7984 to be exact.

The colonists were settled in the only part of the planet where technology had touched land, the Capital. The government operated out of a huge four block building situated on the Western edge of the Capital.

The Capital Square was the most important location for both residents and officials. The speeches of the governing body officials were kept here, where it was accessible to the masses.

The only people to have ever held speeches here were the founders of the colony, the Starfleet officials who had accompanied them and the current governor during his oath-taking ceremony.

The Governor was appointed yearly by Starfleet Command instead of following the age-old policy of democratic voting. As only a small number of people were present, the decision had been agreed unanimously to lessen the costs involved in arranging the poll booths, holding rallies by rival parties, etc.

The Governor for the year 2248 was simply known as General Kodos. He had been a politician in the Brenyx colony when he was appointed to be the governor of Tarsus.

* * *

_Star date: 2248.150_

The summer holidays had begun about a week ago. Being a Sunday, Jim and his gang of friends had decided to go camping on the Red Hills that were about fifty miles away from the main Capital.

There were about ten of them, and they had all planned to take two hover cars owned by the oldest members of their group Glenn McGrath and Matt Rousseau.

The six boys and four girls got into the cars, listening to loud music pumping up the volume. They rode for an hour, when they finally reached the Red Hills. They were literally red, as the hills consisted of red sand and minimal plants were dotted here and there.

The main attraction was the valley which had a gorgeous lake tucked in between, surrounded by beautiful native trees that were of a magenta hue. The water glistened pink, reflecting the pink skies above, and all the girls went 'Ooh…'

Glenn got out of the car, at the same time when the girls went running to dip their feet in the lake. The boys took out their camping equipment and went about propping the tent.

Mike yelled out to the girls "Come _on_! We're not gonna be doing all the grunt work. You get to set up your own tents!"

Julia and Priya huffed as they got out of the lake. The girls busied themselves with their tents, while Danny, Tom and Eli went about collecting firewood.

The Eastern corner of the lake was surrounded by a dense forest. The trees rose up to spectacular heights and all you could see were the trunks. The canopy above blocked the rays of sunlight, but doused the entire forest with a faint pink glow emanating from the sunlight streaming through magenta leaves above.

They set up a campfire, roasting marshmallows, drinking soda and also tried a shot of beer that Matt had smuggled from his home. They played a dozen campfire games, singing songs and were lost to the world.

* * *

**A/N: It all begins in the next chapter. I must also say that I'm taking some creative license here, as this occurs in the Reboot universe. For example, the Tarsus incident happened on 2246 according to Memory Alpha, but I'm sticking with my version - 2248. ** **And the yearly appointment of governors - my thing. The fact that Kodos took oath in front of the people too. I find it odd that, though 4000 people survived, only the Tarsus 9 knew his face. I mean, come on! It's the 23rd century. How could people not know how their Governor looked like?  
**

**Sigh -_- No reviews. That makes me sad and I'm wondering if people are bored. ******Us lowly authors spend hours thinking, planning and typing it all for no profit except for the joy of bringing you happiness. The least you could do to alleviate my misery would be to exercise your fingers on the keyboard and drop me a word. See you soon!****


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you so much to SilverNightfall and colla voce for your support. You really are amazing people! **

**There are some new faces here and from the last part of the previous chapter, so I've written down the list of characters for easy reading.**

**Characters:**

**Jim Kirk (aka Jim Rice) **

**Mike Kenton**

**Glenn McGrath**

**Matt Rousseau**

**Eli Molson**

**Tom Leighton**

**Ashley Renner**

**Julia Cunningham**

**Priya Anand**

**Yui Lowenthal**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_Star date: 2248.152_

It had been two nights and one day since they had camped in the Red Hills. They had gone mountain climbing (in their case, hill climbing) and even taken to playing volleyball in the lake during their second day. Though they had brought frozen food with them, there was only so much they could carry, and they decided to make a trip to the Capital to get some more food for their four-day stay at camp.

Jim, Glenn and Matt found themselves in Glenn's hover-car, making their way back to the Capital for this very reason. They planned to stop by at Jim's home as it was on the outer edge of the Capital and closer to camp.

* * *

After an hour of listening to blaring music, they reached the Rice's home at around noon.

The sun beat down on their backs as they got off their car and rang their doorbell. Nobody replied.

"Doesn't it seem like the area is too quiet?" Matt spoke, looking around the house.

Jim grew worried and tried to contact Meg on his communicator. Thankfully, Meg answered "Jim! We're not at home. The Government announced yesterday that all residents are to report to the Capital Square. Something about inoculations that's mandatory to receive. Why don't you come here?"

"Okay, I'll be right there"

* * *

The Capital Square was abuzz with activity, seeming to make up for the non-existent liveliness in the other parts of the Capital. Long queues were on two sides of the square and a large group of people stood in the center, huddled in a group. An officer was standing on a pedestal and calling out names, pointing to one or the other side of the queue.

Jim spotted his pregnant aunt, standing along with David. Jim strode up to them.

"Glad you made it, Jim"

"What's this with separating us into two lines?"

"There's an outbreak of a type of flu and the vaccine is what we're getting. It seems there are two types of the vaccines that react differently for different people. The government has analyzed our blood samples and we are separated based on their findings. At least, I think that's what the officer said. I could hardly hear him, what with my head spinning. I can't _bear_ to stand in this heat!" Meg said nonchalantly, irritated by her head ache.

"Oh! Then I've gotta inform the others at camp too" Matt chimed in, opening his comm.

"Jim, can you get Max? He went over to Kevin's home with a bunch of friends while you were away. And the Rileys are still not here" David said.

"Okay" Jim said and headed off, leaving Glenn and Matt with his Aunt and Uncle.

* * *

The walk to the Rileys' house took only five minutes, being closer to the Capital Square. Jim had been there before a couple of times to drop off Max at his friend's house.

Jim rang the doorbell and the door was opened by a small Vulcan girl "Greetings."

Jim blinked, shook his head and continued "Is Max here? I'm his brother"

"Affirmative. Please, wait. I shall contact him" the girl said politely, without any inflection in her crisp Standard.

Jim had never met a Vulcan. He had a few Vulcan students as his classmates, but he had never had the chance to talk to them, let alone befriend them.

Jim was feeling weirded out and shook off the matter. Before the girl could turn, Kevin bounded forward happily "JT! How're you? I thought you went to camp! Did you come here for Max? _Max!_" he yelled out, without pausing for a breath in between.

Max came running down the stairs, followed by another boy and a girl.

"Kevin, where are your parents?"

"They left for work very early in the morning"

"They left you all by yourself?"

"Of course not!" he rolled his eyes. "Bruno is here too" he said, jerking his head up, indicating his golden terrier that was probably upstairs.

"Come on everyone! We're gonna be missing the inoculations if we hang around here" Jim said ushering the kids out of the house.

* * *

Jim led the five kids out to the Capital Square. They were laughing cheerfully and discussing about some holo-vid show from the previous night.

Just a mile away from the Capital Square, they halted in their paths as a booming voice filled the air.

Jim went closer to listen in properly.

"_…survival depends on drastic measures. Your continued existence represents a threat to the well-being of society. Your lives mean slow death to the more valued members of the colony. Therefore, I have no alternative but to sentence you to death. Your execution is so ordered, signed Kodos, Governor of Tarsus IV._"

The people in the square erupted in outrage as Jim's insides grew cold and the realization hit him. _The inoculations were actually lethal and would kill them!_

Jim thought of his uncle and dammit, _his pregnant aunt!_

Someone tugged at his shirt. Jim looked down into the fearful eyes of his cousin. _God!_ Max would be _orphaned_. Quickly thinking on his feet, he made a plan.

"Max, Kevin, listen. You guys make a run to our house, you understand me. Don't turn back; don't wait for anyone, just run. Can you do that?"

"What's going on, JT?" Kevin asked his eyes clouded with fear. Jim instantly felt a pang of sorrow. He brushed it aside "Go on, please, I'll be back in ten minutes."

He watched as the kids ran towards the general direction of his house, Max leading the way. Jim jogged along the edges of the square, pulling out his comm.

"JT, what's this Matt was going on about? Inoculations or something…"

"No, it's nothing. You guys stay there"

"Are you sure? We don't want to miss mandatory shots, man and…why are you breathless? What's that noise?"

"_Can_ it, Mike, and stay there!" Jim snapped frustrated as he closed his communicator shut.

* * *

He was suddenly aware of the deafening sound of people yelling.

He looked closer, staying in the shadows. He noticed hundreds of men and women dropping dead in front of his eyes. Families clutched their loved ones as they breathed their last.

Jim noticed that only one line of people that he had seen earlier were there. The second row of people had probably been sent away.

Someone from the group of civilians fired a phaser at the officer who had read their sentence. He crumpled and fell from the pedestal. Soon after, a dozen officers started shooting at the general direction from where the shot had come from, killing nearly thirty people under phaser fire and more chaos ensued.

Jim dreaded the idea of finding out if his aunt and uncle were also one of the dead.

Just as the thought occurred to him, a person in the distance caught his sight. An already dead Glenn with his eyes closed was being clutched and shaken by Matt.

Jim gasped as Matt's eyes rolled over and he too fell, face forward. Jim didn't want to wait around. He felt dizzy and his feet swayed. He had to get away from there.

* * *

Jim ran towards his house, his feet carrying him on auto-pilot, his mind not able to process what he had just seen.

He reached home, and searched behind the house finding the kids. Jim went to the Rice's garage and punched in the password. A 2113 black Mercedes XCL was parked inside. It ran on diesel, like all primitive cars and David had about twenty cans of them stored in the garage itself.

Jim filled its tank and loaded the extra cans on to the boot of the car. He told the kids to get inside of it, while he went to get some things from the house. He broke in to the house through the kitchen window and stuffed a bag with frozen peas, some cookies and anything that had a long shelf life. Taking as much as he could, he slipped out through the back door and dumped it all unceremoniously into the boot.

The car's keys were kept under the rubber mats on the base of the car. Jim, thanking the stars for knowing how to drive an antique, put the pedal to the metal and zoomed off, far away from the Capital.

* * *

The kids pestered him with endless questions, that left his mind reeling. _How do you explain that the government had decided to kill them all to ten year-old kids?_

He replied curtly "I'll tell you all soon enough. Now just shut up and let me drive!"

The drive to the Red Hills gave him some time to clear his head. As soon as he reached the camp, he was met with identical quizzical expressions from his friends and bombarded with a string of questions.

"What happened to Glenn's car?"

"Whoa man, an _antique_ _Mercedes!_" (Jim blinked at that.)

"Where's Matt and Glenn?"

"Why are your brother and his friends here?"

"What was that noise we heard when you commed us earlier?"

Jim blinked against the onslaught of questions. He didn't know how to break it to them. It was all still too surreal.

* * *

He decided to spill the news, bluntly "They're dead" which was followed by gasps and colorful words and more questions.

Finally, Ashley stopped them "_Quiet_, guys! Let him breathe. He looks about ready to keel over!" she turned to Jim "Come here, Jay! Why don't you sit down and tell us what happened?" she asked soothingly.

Jim nodded and was led by Ash to the campfire.

Mike took hold of his sister, Shannon and the girls took the other children along with them. They all settled themselves around the campfire. And JT told them the story of how half of their people were killed by a lethal injection and how their death sentence had been signed by _their_ Governor, Kodos.

* * *

The girls broke into tears and so did the kids. Tom, Mike and Eli looked pale, all of them wondering the same thing – Were their families and friends alive or already lying dead?

Shannon Kenton, only seven years of age, could hardly understand what had happened, but sobbed nevertheless. Mike carried his sister, a little further away from camp to the edge of the lake, trying to comfort her.

The only person, who seemed unfazed by it all, was the little Vulcan girl. Though, if Jim looked hard, he could see the stress marring her features.

Yui got up, wiping her tears. It was already sundown and she mumbled something about getting food. Jim told her of the food he had grabbed from his home that was in the boot of his car. She smiled wanly and got about the work, Julia offering to help. Both of them had siblings and their worry was palpable.

* * *

After a small dinner of pea soup and cookies, the girls led the kids to their tents to get some sleep.

Tom moved next to Jim and Eli "What're we gonna do?" he asked, looking lost.

Eli replied frowning "We can't go back to the city without being sure that we won't be killed"

JT spoke up "Kodos decided to kill half of us, so that the other half could have sufficient food. I remember Dad telling something about Starfleet supply ships not having gotten here. They should've been here by the start of the year. Its five months delayed."

"So, why doesn't Kodos contact Starfleet to bring us supplies?" Tom asked.

"The _hell_ if I know!" JT spit out furiously.

"How _does_ Kodos decide who can live by the way? I mean, didn't you say he said something about the 'more valued members', or something like that?" Eli asked.

"I am as much in the dark as you guys. All I know is that at least 4000 people are still alive" JT said.

"But, how can people continue to live like nothing happened? For god's sake, what if half of a family was killed and another half let to live? Surely, the survivors won't just agree to what he did?" Tom asked.

"Maybe, he keeps them under his control. You know, monitored day and night or something…I don't know. I just need to rest" JT blew out a breath tiredly.

"I say, we sneak back in to the Capital tomorrow. You know, get a good idea of what's happening" Mike said as he walked out of the tent where he had put his sister to sleep.

"Oh! And get ourselves shot? No way in hell!" Eli shot out angrily.

Mike started to retort when Jim stepped in "Shut up, you two!" then turning to Mike "It's a good idea, Mike. How about you and me go together?"

Tom piped in "I'll go with you too."

Mike nodded, threw an angry glare at Eli, who was his best friend after all to not be too offended, and walked back to his tent. Eli got up and went after him to the same tent, probably, to sort things out with him.

Tom shook his head "I don't really understand them"

JT quirked a small smile "Me neither."

* * *

**A/N: Some points to note: Jim refers (and has been referring) to his aunt and uncle as Mom and Dad. He's also registered in the Tarsus records as Jim Rice, son of David and Megan Rice.  
**

**Have a blessed day. See you soon!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Back with a quick update! Thank you to all the lovely people who have favorited, followed and reviewed this story. You are the reason for my updating really soon. This chapter stands at a good 3000 words, and hopefully you will enjoy it.**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_Star date: 2248.153_

Jim hadn't slept that night. The sight of Glenn and Matt breathing their last kept replaying incessantly in his head. He was also sick with worry as any and every means to contact his aunt and uncle had been futile. Only three of them had a communicator and one of them had been Matt, who was now dead. The only other people were Jim and Mike. They had been foolish enough to think it would be a hindrance when they camped. Jim couldn't blame them. Nobody could have anticipated a massacre to occur in two days.

They had tried to contact at least one of their parents the previous night but in vain. There was only static. Jim suspected that the main communication systems of Tarsus had been shut down. He was sick with worry and that had been enough to chase his sleep away.

He spent the night coming up with a way to connect the three communicators that they had. He tagged the unique identification code of the communicators and created a short-range signal. He tested it throughout the night and was quite successful. They now had a way to communicate with themselves when they get separated.

* * *

The sun rose oblivious to the misery of the thirteen children snuggled under the warmth of the tents set up in the valley. The sound of movement from the adjacent tents prompted Jim to get up. Mike and Eli were up, washing their faces by the lake. Judging by the bags under their eyes, Jim was not the only one whom sleep had forgotten to visit last night. Priya came out from another tent with T'Val in tow, just as Jim sat down beside the burnt out campfire.

Another half-hour passed in silence, as one by one, everyone got up attending to their hygiene. Yui and Tom rummaged through the bag Jim had brought the previous day for anything that could be made as breakfast. Their 'breakfast' turned out to be a handful of almonds each.

Mike had argued "That's it? But there's plenty of food that JT brought back!"

Julia had been the one to answer "We're not sure how long we're gonna be surviving off of this. Even then, all of this food is gonna be enough for only about five days, if we need three square meals a day."

T'Val had gently intervened "As I am Vulcan, I can sustain myself with three times less nourishment than is required for humans."

"Even then, we're gonna last for probably only a week. What do we do after that?" Julia asked, genuinely worried.

Nobody had an answer, which only served to make her look more miserable. Thankfully, Tom changed subjects "So, how do we go to the Capital today, JT?"

Ashley looked confused and apprehensive "Who said anything about going to the Capital?"

Mike ploughed on, ignoring Ashley's question "We could take the hover-car, skirt around the edges of the Capital, try to find out where the people who are alive are held. And maybe, try to understand what the _fuck_ is going on!"

"_Mike!_" Yui reprimanded, gesturing towards his little sister.

"Yeah, sorry" he said casually, not even taking his eyes off JT, who seemed to be in deep thought.

"We can't take the car Mike. There's probably a curfew, and a car is by no means silent." Jim said slowly.

"Without a car, how do you think we get there? On foot?" he asked incredulously, scoffing at the ridiculous idea.

"Yup" Jim said in the most dead serious expression, that Mike immediately faltered "Wha-? On _foot?!_ That will take _ages!_"

"We'll take the car till we get to the edge of the city and then we'll hide it and proceed on foot. Okay?"

"But, we'll have to stop at least five miles outside of the Capital. We should be expecting guards, you know, just in case they decide to patrol the outer Capital." Tom said which earned a nod from Jim.

"And I've programmed our communicators to intercept signals for a 100 mile-radius. We can use our comms now to contact within ourselves. So are you coming or not?" Jim said with a finality to his tone. Whatever Mike saw on Jim's face, it cleared his expression "Of course I'm coming! You think I'll leave you and Tommy to go alone. No way in hell!" to which Yui reprimanded him again. Mike was the eldest of the group now, what with Glenn and Matt having gone.

The three had departed with nothing but a bottle of water from the lake. That was all that they could afford right now. Max and Ashley had hugged Jim as they had prepared to leave. They knew that there was a chance (a _big_ chance) of something happening to them. But they did not want to think about the possibilities, and simply said their goodbyes, hoping against hope that they all returned back just the way they left.

* * *

The drive to the capital was only an hour, but it felt like ages without anyone opening their mouths. After a long hour that felt like twelve, Mike stopped the car, when they could spot the buildings in the distance and searched for a place to safely hide the car. Tom spotted a small hill to the left of town and suggested the place was perfect for hiding.

Jim, Mike and Tom walked on silently and entered the outskirts of the Capital, to find it completely deserted. The only sound that could be heard were of drenitii crickets chirping. The silence encompassed them like an unwelcome blanket that made it hard to breathe.

"Where do we go now?" Tom whispered, seeming afraid to break the silence.

It was Mike who spit out, "The TCIA. _Hell_, somewhere close to where that fucking Kodos is!" The Tarsus Center for Internal Affairs was the main command control of the colony. The various department administrators of the colony along with the Governor held office in that building. Hopefully, they could get an idea of what was happening _if_ they could sneak in.

They edged their way to the TCIA carefully and hid inside a bush, keeping a close watch on their surroundings. The advantage of all colonies was that there were no walls surrounding the government buildings. It was mainly because Starfleet did not expect any threats as the residents of a colony were handpicked by them. But that did not leave the TCIA to be unguarded. A couple of officers in uniform with a phaser rifle slung on their shoulders patrolled the entrance.

"Now what do we do?" Mike hissed.

Jim thought hard about the structure of the building inside which he had been before. It had been a field trip for their class during the start of their year. Tom, who had also been on the trip, whispered "Hey JT, remember that restroom you and I went to, when Alan got sick and couldn't see straight. Didn't it have a trash chute?"

"Yeah, but the restroom is four floors above…" JT trailed on, turning over other possibilities in his head.

Mike chimed in "Didn't Ms. Guggenheim say that the trash chutes are connected throughout the floors? We just need to get into the first floor through that and then we can find another way from the inside."

"But that's not possible. It could lead anywhere and what do we do if we run in to the officers?" Tom asked.

Jim spoke up, plan in mind "Alright. I think only two of us have to climb through the chute. It's on the other side of the building, I think. One of us has to be here as lookout. We can't be sure if these guys decide to patrol the other side too. If they do when we are ready to exit, you distract them so they don't turn round the corner. And when we get to the first floor, we leave one of us to hide there somewhere while the other can look around for information. And _that_ is gonna be me."

It was a testament to the seriousness of the situation that there were no objections. Jim couldn't blame them for not volunteering, though he would refuse them anyway. He knew everyone was afraid for their own life.

Jim went on "Tom, you get to stay here. Mike, you're with me." Saying so, he tossed his communicator to Tom who nodded. "Let's go."

Though Mike was senior to them, he had a slender build than Tom and would be able to climb through the chute.

Tom whispered "Be careful, guys!" as Jim and Mike scurried along the path they had come through to get to the opposite side of the building. Mercifully, there were no guards and the chute was just where Jim thought it would be. It was small enough for adults and just big enough for them. Mike said "Give me a leg-up. I'll test the waters."

* * *

Mike crawled through the chute which was a tight fit. He whispered "There's some handles in the chute. Not too bad to climb" which echoed strangely through the metal tube.

Jim followed him and found the rusted handles that Mike had mentioned, which gave good footing to climb on. Jim hissed "Let's just climb along to the fourth floor. It's not too hard to climb. The governor's office is at the top and it would make it easier and safer to hide in a restroom than somewhere we don't know."

"Yeah, okay."

A good five minutes passed as they slowly climbed up the chute, stopping for breaths in between. Though the chute did lead up to the top floor, their hands were burning from gripping the rusted handles and the smooth walls of the tube had been no help to their tired legs. Mike double-checked the opening for any sign of people and then gave the all clear. The two of them climbed out of the small opening, gasping for breaths. Mike quickly drank some water from the bottle he had been wearing along his neck and passed it to Jim, who took a gulp of the blessedly cool water and wore it around his neck.

"Okay. You stay in one of the cubicles. I'll try my best to get back within 30 minutes" Jim said. Mike nodded and tossed his communicator to him "Good luck." Jim caught it and nodded. Mike shut himself inside one of the cubicles as Jim quietly opened the door to check for movement.

When there was none, he quietly slipped out. Jim was surprised by the lack of people, but he had other things in his mind, so he pushed it to the back of his head.

* * *

The corridor was empty and Jim turned to find an elevator. He punched the button and hid behind a potted plant to make sure there was nobody leaving from the elevator as the doors opened. He entered the elevator and said "Level 8" as he searched for any cameras inside. He found one and quickly turned his whole body such that his face would not be visible.

He wasn't going to do anything about the camera. Not that he _could_ _do_ anything, but during their field trip, Jim had noticed that there was nobody manning the security camera feed. It was because as their tour guide had said "The Colonies with a population of less than 10,000 people are always risk-free. As the colonists are handpicked, crime levels are low and the off-chance of anyone bypassing security in the government buildings is slim. Though the security cameras are installed at high-priority areas, their stations are manned only occasionally."

The TCIA was a very small building in comparison to buildings on Earth. The low level of population required only so much of people to govern, thus only eight floors to the building.

Just as the elevator arrived at the eighth floor, Jim hit the 'Close doors' button to prevent them from opening. He climbed onto the railing along the wall inside the elevator and pushed open the Emergency hatch. Making a well-aimed jump he caught hold of himself and climbed above the roof of the elevator.

Jim had only one door to his left that led to the Elevator Control room above the building. Jim tugged at the door and was not surprised to find it was locked. He walked to the edge of the elevator and looked down. There, just above the eighth floor elevator doors was a vent that was about three square meters.

Now, the only problem was getting to it. Just as the thought crossed his mind, the elevator jolted as it descended down. Making use of the unexpected opportunity, Jim jumped, hands moving wildly to grab a hold of the vent. His hands caught the edge of the vent as the elevator descended further and he felt the pressure of his body weight resting on his fingers.

Jim made it to the vent and crawled along, his mind supplying him with unhelpful information of people getting stuck in the vents or the vents collapsing unable to hold their weight. The vents itself weren't all smooth and squeaky clean like what he had seen in those old movies. They were dusty and had a metallic smell to it. And, a lot of insulation tubing and wires poked and prodded his hands and legs as he crawled through. Thankfully, it was horizontal and didn't require too much energy.

Just as he had crawled about a few meters, he came to an opening on the ground of the vent, as light streamed in. He could hear voices and leaned in. As soon as he heard the voice of the speaker, he knew he had hit the jackpot, for it was none other than Kodos himself.

* * *

Jim blinked away the shock of his own luck and listened attentively to what was being said. There were two more men in the room, to whom Kodos was speaking to.

"…them all monitored. Those who partake in violence of any form are to be put behind bars immediately. They will be served only half of what is proportioned for them." Though they were words of punishment, Kodos' tone wasn't angry or irritated. It was just a calm baritone that washed over him, causing Jim to erupt in spikes of anger. _How dare that monster try to kill them?_

One of the men spoke up "Sir, what about the people who didn't come in for the shots? The ones who are on the list to be executed?"

"I presume that number amounts to 23?" he asked coldly.

"Yes sir. We cross-checked the names. Nine of them are children."

"Children or adults. No amount of difference. If they are worth any positive eugenics, they are deemed fit to live."

"Sir, but there are four of them who are on our list of positive eugenics who are not accounted for" the second man said.

Kodod was quiet for a long minute. This was news to him.

"Who are they?" he said, giving the officer a long hard glare.

The man visibly tensed and gulped "Four children sir." He looked at his PADD and read "Julia Cunningham. Tom Leighton. T'Val. And James Rice."

Jim sucked in a breath. He could only think to himself _'What?!' _before Kodos spoke again.

"Hmm…I'm interested in these four. Find everything you know about them, from the school they attended to their families and report back in an hour."

The man nodded "Yes, sir."

Just as Jim decided to crawl further and find a safe place to exit, the shrill sound of alarms broke the silence.

"What is happening?" Kodos asked angrily to the men, who looked bewildered more at the sight of Kodos than being unable to answer his question. Kodos' communicator chirped and a man spoke urgently "Sir! We've had a breach in Level Four. It's a teenage boy!"

Jim gasped. _Mike!_

* * *

He crawled forward to find any other vent which could lead to an empty room through which he could escape. He had no such luck as he was halted in his path by a solid steel grate that blocked his path any further. He gave it a firm push, then a pull, but it didn't budge. Not that he expected to, but it was worth a shot.

Swearing, he crawled backwards along the path he had come from, which was _way_ harder than it looked, and reached the vent to Kodos' room again. He chanced a look inside, to find it was completely deserted. They had probably left to apprehend the intruder.

Jim searched for any way to open the vent. It had a clasp on the other side. Jim let his fingers through the vent and slowly tried to open it from the other side. He unclasped it and took his hand back inside and pushed it. The vent opened and Jim quickly let in his legs first. The drop below was straight to Kodos' desk which was about three meters from the vent. Jim let go of his hand and kept them straight above his head as he dropped smoothly on to the desk. He rolled off of it and landed on the floor.

Just when he had decided to leave through the doors, he was struck by an idea.

You see, any normal child who was in a building full of people who were nothing short of murderers would have dashed away at the first chance. But, not Jim Kirk. He never did things half-way.

He remembered his uncle saying something about Kodos having a personal access code for all communications to Starfleet. This would be his one and only chance.

He quickly settled himself on the desk and the computer came out of its hibernation. A password was required to access it. Jim quickly snuffed out the hope of cracking it and tried the first thing that came to his mind – the date of the genocide. He typed in '2248.152' and the computer beeped angrily. He had only two more tries left to crack the password before he was locked out for 30 minutes and his hope of getting inside would be lost forever.

He tentatively typed in '2248152' and hit the 'Enter' button, praying to the deities above. Hope soared through his heart as the computer granted access and Jim faced a series of folders listed alphabetically.

He quickly went through the names and stopped as he came to one titled 'Starfleet'. He opened the folder and found many documents regarding supplies, transport and whatnot. At the end of the folder however, was a file 'Zeta-access'. Frowning, Jim opened the file and was faced with a string of words, numbers and alphabets: Zeta-175-22-45-Beta-Tarsus-IV-39-Governor-63.

Committing it to memory was an easy task with Jim's brilliant mind and he found himself unexpectedly smile a little at his 'luck of the Devil' as Tom always called it.

Jim closed the folders and put the computer to its former state of rest as he got up and went to the door. Before he could even grab the handle, the door was pushed open from the outside.

And Jim Kirk came face-to-face with Governor Kodos himself.

* * *

**A/N: Yay, Cliffy! Please review if you enjoyed this chapter and hopefully, there will be a faster update. See you guys, soon! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_Star date: 2248.153_

Jim stared at Governor Kodos in shock. He couldn't believe that it had all gone downhill so fast. He edged backwards slowly as Kodos proceeded forward in the same manner. He was a balding red-head with a shock of moustache on his upper lip. He had a manic glint in his eye as he stared down at him and then at the open vent through which Jim had entered. He grinned (more like bared his teeth) putting two and two together.

"Guards!" he gave the quick command and Jim noticed two guards hurrying into the room, taking hold of his arms. He didn't even try to resist, he knew it was futile. "Bring him along too" Kodos said and walked out of the door.

_Too? _Jim wondered. His question was answered instantly when he noticed two more guards outside who had a limp Mike held between them. They had probably been making their way to Kodos' office to question Mike when their plans had got changed by the unexpected arrival of well, him.

He was frog-marched by the two guards who were following the other two holding Mike in between them. Jim's first thought was to give Mike a once-over and check for any injuries, but the thought was pushed aside before it had even formed to make sure Jim kept track of the path he was taking and the surrounding area. _If_ he _ever_ escaped whatever torture they had in mind for him, he needed to be able to navigate the building.

Jim was taken down in an elevator to the basement underground. Jim hadn't even known there was an underground. The elevator that he had taken in the beginning sure didn't show it in its map.

They were lead to an empty room about six meters wide and the door clanged shut. It had two plain, metal chairs that faced each other with only a few feet between them and Jim could already see what was coming. He was forced onto the chair and tied to it firmly and so was Mike.

Jim took a chance to look at Mike properly. He had a severe bruise on his forehead, which could only mean that the guards had hit him on his head, knocking him unconscious. Other than that, he seemed fine.

Kodos walked slowly forward towards Jim and the guards retreated close to the walls. Jim tensed wondering what was going to happen next.

Kodos grabbed a handful of his hair, pushing his face backwards and Jim was forced to look at his face. Jim groaned when Kodos growled "What's your name, boy?"

Jim didn't know if it was better to lie to him or not about his identity. Jim thought about the possibilities of repercussions that he might have if he revealed his name when he heard one of the men he had seen earlier in Kodos' office speak "He's James Rice, sir. One of the four with positive eugenics and hasn't been accounted for."

Kodos let go of his hair and asked him, much calmer now "Why didn't you come in for the shots yesterday?"

Jim instantly replied "I wasn't at home. I didn't know."

"Where were you?"

"I went camping with my friends"

"And who are these friends of yours?"

"Julia and Tom" Jim said looking Kodos straight in the eye. He was good at lying to someone's face due to much practice with Frank.

Kodos glanced at the guard who nodded. He turned back again to look at Jim.

"Well, I believe you." Mentally, Jim sighed in relief, but on the outside Jim maintained a stony, but slightly scared front, which wasn't really hard to act, seeing as he _was_ a little terrified.

"All I want to know was why you broke into TCIA?"

Jim came up with a reply "We planned to camp for two more days and didn't have enough food. So, I came home to get some, but when I did, the Capital was deserted. "

"So, you decided to come to the Government for answers" Kodos finished for him, nodding satisfactorily. "Why didn't you just ask the guards patrolling the building instead of breaking in?"

Now, Jim was stumped. "Uh…They were having phasers!" he stumbled out hurriedly. "I had never seen guards with phasers outside the building and I thought they would shoot me!"

After a long look Kodos said "Fair point" and Jim felt a small weight lift from his stomach. He hadn't realized how tense he was.

Kodos then moved to stand next to Mike. "Do you know this boy?"

Jim nodded tentatively.

"And how do you know him exactly?" Kodos asked in a mockingly sweet tone.

"He's my senior at school" Jim finished, somewhat lamely.

"Well, let's hear his side of the story now, shall we?" he said grinning and gave a slap on Mike's face.

Jim gasped as Mike awoke groaning. He seemed disoriented at first, but he blinked to clear his vision. His eyes widened as recognition dawned on him "JT! They caught you too! Oh my God!"

Jim gave him a 'please-shut-up' look and he stopped talking, looking around. His eyes widened even further when he saw Kodos. "Shit" he muttered, realizing his mistake.

Kodos was still smiling, but looked like a vulture that had spotted its prey. "What's this James? He seems to think you broke in together? Were you lying to me now?"

All Jim could wonder was _'I'm in too deep shit and I can't dig my way out.'_

Jim chose to remain silent, which earned him a smack across his face. Jim felt a burning sensation when he remembered that Kodos had been wearing a ring. Mike gasped, looking very distressed that it had been his words that had got JT in trouble.

Jim's face was smarting, but before he could do anything, Kodos had a handful of his hair again "You think you can lie to my face, boy? I'll make an example out of you."

"No, stop!" Mike yelled.

Kodos looked him then at one of the guards, who simply raised his phaser and shot straight at his heart. Mike didn't even have time to yell out in pain, before his eyes rolled in his head and hung forward limply.

Jim's ears were still ringing from the sound and a tear escaped from his eye. "You _asshole_!" he yelled looking at Kodos and spat on him, all the pent up rage trying to find a way out of him.

Kodos looked livid. He punched Jim in his gut and Jim doubled over in pain, refusing to cry out.

"If you had a way to control that mouth of yours, I might have left you with the other people, feeding you twice a day." Kodos snarled.

He continued "If your friend here was right" he said petting Mike's hair "I have reason to believe that you are not alone. I think there are twelve of you alive and hiding."

Jim's abdomen was hurting very badly that he didn't have the strength to make up another lie to tell Kodos that he was wrong.

"I want you to tell me where your friends are hiding, so we can get this over with."

Jim's blood boiled. He laughed roughly "You think I will give in to you?" then looking him straight in the eye he said "You're wrong."

Kodos smiled "We'll see about that soon, shall we?"

Saying so, he left the room, the guards trailing behind him and the doors locked shut, leaving Jim to stare at nothing but the body of his dead friend.

* * *

Jim forced himself to look at anything but Mike, which was pretty hard since he was only a few feet away from him and faced him directly. He thought about Mike's sister who was only seven years old. How would he explain to her, that she had no parents and no brother? Forget that, would he even _get_ to the camp to tell them the news?

Jim tried to wriggle out of the ropes, but they didn't budge. He tried very hard for nearly half an hour and gave up finally. He was too tired and the last thing he had consumed was a handful of almonds about four hours ago. His stomach grumbled. His water bottle had been removed from him and was kept in one corner of the room. It was taunting to have it so close and yet not be able to take a sip.

After a good two hours, his stomach stopped grumbling and Jim found himself falling asleep.

* * *

He jerked awake when he heard the doors screech open. Judging by the way his neck ached like a bitch, he had slept for quite a while. A uniformed guard, who had been one of the men carrying a limp Mike earlier, entered with a knife in his hand.

Jim tensed, all vestiges of sleep vaporizing instantly as he grew alarmed. The guard however raised his hands in surrender as he whispered "Relax, I'm on your side. They sent me here to get your friend's body." Saying so, he started cutting the ropes binding Jim to the chair. Jim's eyes widened as the man went on "But I want to help you. I'll cut you loose, you grab my phaser and stun me and make a run to room number 1-16. It's the floor above. Stun anybody within sight and make a run through the window. That's out of sight of the patrol officers. Get your friends wherever they are and hide. Kodos will definitely send teams to hunt you down. Make sure you get away as far as you can. You understand?"

Jim nodded dumbly and the man finished cutting him loose. He gave Jim his phaser that was set to stun and his knife. Jim asked him "Aren't there any cameras?"

"None in this room, kid. Kodos does his dirty work here, he doesn't have it monitored. But there are plenty once you get outside this door."

Jim looked at him and asked the question that he was burning to ask "_Why?_"

"Because, we're not all his supporters and we've lost family and friends because of him too" the man said, his expression shrouded in misery.

Jim nodded "Thank you" he said, putting all his sincerity into the words as he raised his phaser. The man nodded and Jim pulled the trigger. His hand ached due to the recoil. Jim massaged his hand as he looked at Mike. He knew he couldn't take Mike with him. He gave him one last look and turned away from him. He had his own life to be worried about.

* * *

He pocketed the knife and took the water bottle from the corner of the room and took a long swig. It tasted heavenly and wet his mouth and throat that had been parched. He slung it around his neck and made a dash to the door. He opened it and looked both ways before exiting. A guard was at the far end of the corridor. Jim shot him squarely in the chest, hiding behind the door to his room. The guard crumpled to the floor, not knowing what had hit him and Jim ran along the way he had come in.

The basement was mercifully deserted, but as Jim took the flight of stairs to the first floor, he knew he was in trouble. Men and women walked to and fro going about their duties. He ducked hiding behind potted plants and carefully maneuvering his way to room number 1-16. The door was unlocked and Jim silently thanked the unnamed guard who had helped him.

He entered and found a single window overlooking the dark grounds of the TCIA building. He was quite surprised that it was already way past midnight judging by the break of dawn that was only hours away. He jumped out of it and ran as fast as his feet could carry, all the while watching for any guards in the area.

He made it to the bush where he had left Tom, that morning. _Shit, had it been that long?!_ No wonder Tom wasn't there. He probably thought the two of them had been killed and left back to camp.

* * *

Jim ran along the path they had traversed that morning, blending in the shadows, thanking the deities above that it was too dark for anyone to spot him.

He suddenly remembered that he had put his comm into his right sock when he had decided to jump down the vent in Kodos' office. _How could he have forgotten that?_

Jim quickly took it out, fumbling with it as he contacted Tom, who almost immediately picked it up "Mike! Are you okay? Where are you? Is JT there?"

Jim completely ignored him as he said "Tom, I need you to bring the hover-car. It's only a matter of time before the TCIA recognize I've escaped!"

Tom detected the urgency in his tone "Okay! Where should I bring it?"

Jim could already hear the car door slamming through the comm as Tom got in.

"Um…Near the hill where we parked the car today" Jim suggested.

Tom said "Yeah, about five miles from the Capital"

"Yes. And give your comm to Ashley before you leave. I need to tell her some important stuff."

"Okay" Tom said. He heard Tom yelling to Ashley "Ash, take it, it's JT!" just as Eli also yelled "Tom, I'm coming with you too."

Jim heard the start of the hover-car as Ashley spoke up "Jay, where are you? We were so worried."

Jim started walking along quickly through the way they had come. He had to get to the hill within an hour to meet Tom and Eli.

"I'm fine. Listen, Ash. You have to pack everything up as fast as you can. Get the others, tent, food and get to the Parava Hills in my car. Do you know where it is?"

"Yes. But, why? Jay, what's going on?"

"Listen to me" Jim hissed "Kodos knows that we are alive and hiding. He might send search parties at least up to the Red Hills. He knows we were camping and that's the only camping spot here. But, if we get further away from there, we might have a chance to hide properly and away from him. You just make sure you collect lots of water from the lake and don't leave any traces that we lived there, okay? We'll catch up to you later."

Ashley agreed and disconnected the comm.

Jim walked for about forty minutes. He could see streaks of magenta in the sky as daybreak neared. He was tired and hungry and his last drop of water had been consumed, leaving him thirsty. He was about four miles away from the Capital and he was pretty sure the guards would have found out that he was missing by now.

His legs ached and his cheek where Kodos had smacked was stinging slightly. He hadn't noticed before, but Jim brought his hand to his cheek. There was a dried stain of blood coloring his cheek and the sweat from all the walking had aggravated the stinging sensation.

Jim tread much slowly now, his tired limbs failing to cooperate with his brain and his vision went fuzzy. In the distance he heard a whirring sound, but dismissed it as his brain shutting down.

After a couple more steps, Jim dropped to his knees, unable to proceed any further. The whirring grew louder and Jim pulled his face upwards to look for the source of the sound. He could see a small silver box about 10 centimeters in height making its way towards him.

He knew it was Tom, but an uneasy thought that he might be hallucinating also crossed his mind.

He was tired and promptly fell face forward as the sun rose up from the horizon.

* * *

_Star date: 2248.154_

Tom and Eli had been quiet throughout the trip, each unable to fill the silence with their minds on their friends. They had drove out of the camp as quickly as possible going much faster than what Tom was used to. They neared the location JT had mentioned as the sun rose and a new day began.

Eli was the first to break the silence "Tom, isn't that JT?" he asked almost fearfully.

Tom squinted and caught a flash of light reflected at him from JT's neon blue sneakers with racer reflector stripes that Glenn had given to him for his birthday. It was JT alright, who looked like he had crumpled to the floor face-first.

His heart quickened, thinking about the possibilities as he zoomed faster towards him. They halted to a stop next to him and quickly got out of the car. They roughly turned him over and Eli gasped as he saw JT's complete right cheek covered with dried blood and sand. Tom immediately checked his pulse and released a breath he didn't remember holding when he felt the faint beat of his heart.

Eli thought aloud "Where's Mike?"

Tom cringed remembering how JT had pointedly diverted the conversation when Tom had asked about Mike.

"Eli, let's go" Tom said pulling at his sleeve. Eli stared forwards dumbly as Tom single-handedly threw Jim over his shoulder and dumped him inside the car. He had the upper-body strength that Mike had so envied.

Eli still didn't move and Tom maneuvered him roughly into the car unable to see him in tears.

Just as Tom got behind the wheel, he heard the sound of sirens wailing in the distance. That brought Eli out of his stupor as he yelled "Drive, drive, drive!"

Tom obliged and sped away into the distance.

* * *

**A/N: The neon blue shoes are actually borrowed from the fanfic Twenty Six and Legend by Ilethe. If you haven't read it, please do, it's one hell of a story. Reviews are love! And thanks for the follows!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! I've started college again and real life got in the way. Thanks for the faves and alerts. Special thanks to Katiikiinz for giving me the push to update faster. **

**Now, on with the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

_Star date: 2248.154_

Somebody slapped some water on his face and JT came around. The first thing he realized was the conditioned air. It felt soothing against the gash on his cheek. The oppressive heat of Tarsus was distinctly absent and JT opened his eyes to find that he was in a hover-car. He rubbed his eyes and focused on the two people inside - Tom and Eli.

JT groaned by way of greeting and Tom slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, man."

"Hey" JT croaked. Tom tossed him a bottle of water and he gulped it down greedily.

Eli turned around from his driver's seat and asked "What happened?"

JT blinked looking through the window for a minute or two before replying "I'm not so sure myself. One minute I was well on my way to escaping from that place and the next second I was caught."

Tom opened his mouth to ask something but was interrupted by the sound of JT's comm chirping. The sound of Ashley wafted in through the car "We made it to Parava safely. Where are you?"

''Tom and Eli are here. We're on our way" and he snapped the comm shut.

Tom's eyebrows drew together as he frowned "Parava? What's going on?"

"Kodos knows we're camping in the Red Hills. We have to get out of there. I told them to pack up and leave for Parava. And, that's where we're going too" JT said.

* * *

Eli who had been silent all the while spoke softly "What happened to Mike?"

JT's stomach clenched when he heard his friend's name. He could remember him getting shot vividly and the sound of the phaser vibrated in his ears. "Kodos killed him" JT growled.

He noticed through the corner of his eyes the wetness in Eli's eyes and felt a pang of sorrow.

"Eli, I'm so sorry" he said, softening his tone.

Eli sniffed and rubbed his sleeve over his eyes. He turned towards JT and nodded. Tom continued "What happened after you got inside?"

JT quickly related the incidents to them. They listened with rapt attention gasping in all the right places.

Tom said "So, Kodos had something planned for you this morning. If it wasn't for that guard, I don't think we would have got you back alive."

JT nodded when Eli chimed in "We heard the sirens when we picked you up."

"_Shit!_ We need to go faster!"

"Don't worry, we lost them a while ago" Tom said.

JT nodded and regretted the action. He could feel a headache coming and raised his hand to massage his temples. This wasn't missed by Tom.

"You okay? Why don't you wash your face? I can only see half of it under all that blood."

JT wondered how he looked like. He wet a tissue and wiped it across his face. The gash on his cheek burned and JT clenched his teeth. After nearly three tissues and considerable wiping, JT's face could be seen somewhat better than earlier.

The headache had worsened by the time and JT shut his eyes, leaning against his seat. Tom looked at him worriedly but decided not to disturb him. He'd been through a lot and he deserved to rest after all.

* * *

After about ninety minutes, they reached the Parava Hills and met with the others. Ashley had guided them to their location via their comms.

They had chosen a good spot to hide. The Parava Hills were larger and drier than the Red Hills. There were no forests or lakes and only a few trees dotted here and there. There was a small cave that was well hidden by a natural boulder that served as cover. The cave itself ascended upwards for a good ten feet before opening into a wide area.

It was a difficult spot to find. But the only problem was hiding their cars. They had to hide it separately about a mile away from the cave.

Tom and Eli trekked up the cave with JT between them. Tom noticed that JT was swaying and moved slower than usual. He put a hand on his shoulder and steadied him as they hiked up to the cave.

They were met with loud voices of greeting, but suddenly everyone quieted down noting the absence of another one of them.

It was Priya who asked out loud what they were all thinking "Where's Mike?"

Eli and Tom lowered their gaze and Priya gasped. Just then Shannon, Mike's sister came up to Priya and asked innocently "Where's Mikey?"

Tears pooled in Priya's eyes as she took her away to one side to tell her the truth of what had happened to her brother.

Everyone looked at anything but each other's eyes, finding no words to fill the void that had been made by the absence of Mike.

JT chose to help them think about other things by promptly collapsing to the floor.

* * *

Ashley had been worried sick for her friends. Though JT had made it out alive, the death of Mike was a serious blow to them all. They were alone with not enough food or water and nobody to help them but themselves and now a madman was hunting them down to kill them.

She wondered how just two days ago, they had been happily camping in the wilderness in the company of friends, unaware that in merely two days, three of them will die.

Suddenly, JT crumpled to the floor and she yelled "Jay!"

All eyes turned towards him and the older kids rushed to help. Ashley got to him first and lifted his head to her lap. JT's eyes were closed and she noticed a gash that looked like it had been cleaned with water and left to dry. He was slightly warmer to the touch. Besides that, he seemed unharmed.

Ashley slapped his cheek "Come on, wake up."

Two bleary-eyed blue orbs opened and Ashley let out a sigh of relief. Tom spoke "Get some food inside him. He's not had anything since the last time he was here."

Julia and Yui hurried to get him some food and water. JT propped himself up whispering "I'm fine, just tired."

Ashley nodded and kissed the top of his head. Just then Julia and Yui came by with a packet of cookies, a can of beans and some water. JT nodded in thanks and slowly got to the task of eating, Ashley helping him.

JT spoke up after a bite of his cookie "We need to keep watch from now on. Every four hours."

Eli nodded "I'll take first watch" and walked to the entry of the cave. Yui followed him, no doubt to console Eli. He had lost his best friend after all.

* * *

_Star date: 2248.157_

Three days had passed since Mike had died and the twelve kids had found refuge in a cave in the Parava hills. The temperature soared to 111F and a heat wave washed over them, leaving their skin dry and lips cracked.

The little food that they had saved was dwindling and they needed to find some way to find food.

JT's slight fever and headache had receded by the next day. It had been only a reaction to his then empty stomach.

JT refrained from keeping his stomach full after that. He wanted to make sure that they all had enough food to survive longer. He also noticed his friends eating very less, no doubt to make sure the younger kids weren't starved. But there was only so much you could do before you run out of food.

Yui, who was unofficially in charge of proportioning their food for them, came up to him early that morning when he had been keeping watch.

"JT, we have enough food to last us for only four more days. What do we do after it's over?" Yui had told, eyes searching him worriedly.

JT sat quietly for a couple of minutes, eyes looking into the distance. Somehow, the kids had come to look to him for strength and support. JT didn't know what he had done to be their untold leader. But the vote of confidence only served to make him try harder to make sure they would all come alive out of this.

Ever since his fever had abated he could think of nothing but the Zeta code he had memorized from Kodos' personal computer. Though he had the code with him, it was useless as they didn't have the comm technology with them to contact Earth.

Their one bet was to break into any of the civilians' houses. Surely they had long-range comms. At least the Rices' home did. But Kodos' guards were on the lookout for them and going into the Capital was just going to make Kodos' job easier. So JT had refrained from mentioning that idea to the others. The death of Mike was still very raw in their minds.

"Let Tom and the others wake up. We'll come up with something" he said smiling slightly, injecting confidence into his words that he couldn't find within himself.

Yui nodded and headed back inside.

* * *

Tom and the others woke up when the sun was starting to rise. Julia continued to sleep having kept watch before JT. After a small breakfast of canned beans again, they gathered in a circle coming up with ideas to deal with their immediate problems. The younger kids were being kept entertained with a pack of cards that they had brought with them to camp.

"We could try to scavenge the forest near the lake where we camped" Ashley said thoughtfully.

Eli asked "Do you think there is edible stuff for us to eat there?"

It was Priya who answered "There were some coconut trees there that I came upon when collecting firewood." Tom nodded continuing "Yes, but the only problem is getting there without being found."

Ashley asked worriedly "_Is_ it possible to go there without alerting the guards?"

"Maybe. We can't take the hover-cars. It's too much of a giveaway. Probably, three or four of us could go while the rest of us stay behind and look after the kids" JT said.

Eli said "Yeah, and we'll also need the water from the lake. We've already run out."

Water was the main resource that was hard to find in the Parava. They had had ten bottles of water and survived using three bottles a day for twelve people, only taking occasional sips. It had left them dehydrated and it wasn't before long it would lead to other severe complications. They had to scavenge while they were still healthy…somewhat.

JT nodded "Okay, who is coming with me?"

Tom nodded "I am, of course." Priya said "I know where I saw the coconut trees, so I'm coming too."

Almost simultaneously Eli and Ashley spoke "Count me in."

They both looked at each other and then at JT, who looked mildly amused.

Ashley hurried on "Eli, you need to stay with Julia. If anything happens here, you must be able to take them to safety and Julia doesn't know how to drive yet."

Eli opened his mouth to argue, but JT cut in "She's right Eli. I can trust you with them, right?" he asked.

Eli nodded "Of course you can JT."

JT nodded "So what are we waiting for? Let's go before the sun gets above us."

* * *

Ashley got dressed in dark clothing and so did the others who were planning to get to the Red Hills. Tom and JT came up with an alternative route to get there without being spotted.

They grabbed all the empty bottles that they had and stuffed them into backpacks. The trip to the Red Hills was about three hours on foot.

They were tired and dehydrated and the only thought that kept them going was the lake that would be available at the end of their trip. JT and Tom guided them along the path that they had devised. The dark clothing did nothing to save them from the oppressive hot winds that were blowing through the land. There was no humidity in the wind which was both a good thing and a bad thing. The 'good thing' being that you weren't feeling too sweaty, but the 'bad thing' being that because you didn't sweat there was a high chance of your body shutting down unexpectedly due to the heat.

However, they reached the lake without any issue and were grateful that there were no guards nearby. They promptly collapsed near the lake and took off their backpacks. JT and Tom jumped straight into the pool to cool their overheated body.

Ashley and Priya drank from the lake and splashed some water on their face, feeling its heavenly coolness. Then, they got to the task of filling their bottles with water while Tom and JT came out of the lake dripping, to help them.

Priya then led them to the forest where they spotted some coconut trees.

"Well, how are we gonna climb it?" Ashley said looking up at the fifteen feet tall trees.

"I didn't think of that before..." Priya said sheepishly.

"Come on, it's not gonna be that different from Gym class, is it?" Tom said, taking off his shirt. JT followed suit and the pair of them climbed up the tree with less grace than a monkey. Ashley commented the same and the girls broke into a fit of giggles.

Just then, a green coconut fell from above and they both squealed trying to get out of its way. Tom laughed as he cut down a few of them to the ground.

JT said in mock anger "Come now Tom, I thought you were a gentleman. Gentlemen don't go hitting ladies with coconuts on their heads!" ending it with laughter.

"You little shit!" Tom smiled as he aimed a coconut at JT's head. JT ducked and laughed.

Ashley stopped laughing as she realized that it was the first time in six days that Jim had laughed. It felt like ages.

* * *

Backpacks stuffed with bottles of water and coconuts, the four trudged on their way home. The water had done them good as they were more energized during their walk.

When they had walked for about fifteen minutes only, they heard the sound of a hover-car coming their way. JT quickly told them to hide behind a few bushes and trees while they waited for them to pass.

However, the hover-car came to a stop next to the bushes behind which they were hiding. Ashley tensed wondering what was going to happen.

Two men got out from the car, wearing guards' uniforms. They then headed towards the bushes on the opposite side of where the four were hiding to relieve themselves. Ashley visibly relaxed. The men came back after a minute to get into the car.

Suddenly, one of them turned and looked straight at the bushes where they were hiding. Ashley was so frightened that blood drained from her face leaving her light-headed.

She looked at JT who pressed a finger to his lips, signaling them to be quiet and not move.

However, the man who was seeing straight at them, walked towards them slowly pulling out a phaser. He aimed straight at where JT was hiding and fired. Ashley nearly yelled, when she noticed that Jim had ducked, escaping the phaser fire.

But, the guard had now sensed the presence of someone as the other guard also got out of the car. They were running straight towards them when JT yelled "Move!" and pushed Priya and Ashley to the ground, where they rolled further away from them. The guards caught hold of JT and Tom, not having noticed the girls. Priya and Ashley hid behind another bush and watched as JT and Tom struggled against their captors.

"Well, well. Look at this Martin" one of the guards drawled as he leveled a phaser at Tom.

Tom looked angry and frightened at being within such proximity to the phaser, and refrained from speaking anything. Jim yelled "Stop! Don't hurt him."

The other guy, Martin, who was keeping hold of Jim, tackled him to the ground face-forward "Or what, pretty boy?"

Ashley's breath hitched as her fingers tightened around Priya's wrist. She could do nothing but watch.

The guard holding Tom drew the phaser close to Tom's face caressing it "I think we should take these two to Kodos, Martin. I think these are one of the kids on his list."

"No doubt, Harry. Governor Kodos will be very pleased" Martin said, with a goofy grin on his face.

Harry brought the phaser butt hard on Tom's head. Tom yelled out in surprise, but collapsed.

Seeing what they did to Tom moved JT to action. He rolled hard and broke the grip of the guard on him. He reached for his boot and drew a knife. Harry aimed at JT, but missed as JT slashed at Martin, drawing blood from a deep knife wound. Martin howled in pain as he dropped to the ground.

Harry growled and shot at JT.

JT ducked again, but he wasn't fast enough as the shot grazed his side. Fuming, JT slashed at Harry who prevented JT's arm from making its way to his stomach. He caught hold of JT's hands rasping "You nasty little shit. I'm gonna kill you and your friend!"

JT struggled against him, and slashed again at Harry's arms. Harry dropped his phaser as the knife cut his hand. Harry lunged at JT, and before he could come in contact with him, JT picked up the phaser and shot at him, who crumpled to the ground.

Suddenly as if remembering something from a dream, JT looked at the phaser setting and felt the blood drain from his face. _It had been set to kill_.

* * *

**A/N: Poor JT! Let's see how much this is gonna affect him in the next chapter, shall we?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I'm down with a viral fever and a killer headache. So this chapter is a little short. Please bear with me until I get well and I promise the next chapter will be longer.**

**And, a quick headcount of the survivors:**

**Jim Rice**

**Eli Molson**

**Tom Leighton**

**Ashley Renner**

**Julia Cunningham**

**Priya Anand**

**Yui Lowenthal**

**Max Rice**

**Kevin Riley**

**T'Val**

**Shannon Kenton**

**Danny Eames**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

_Star date: 2248.157_

JT dropped the phaser in his hand to the ground and stumbled backwards. _He couldn't believe what he had just done._

He saw Ashley and Priya coming out of their hiding place. They both looked at him in open-mouthed horror and JT felt disgusted with himself. He saw Ashley making her way to him out of the corner of his eyes. She reached out a hand and JT shrugged away from her. He didn't deserve her comfort. Ashley's mouth thinned as she pressed her lips. She looked at him for a couple of seconds and turned away from him. JT couldn't help but think that he had let her down somehow.

Priya was next to Tom attempting to wake him up. He didn't even twitch his eye in response.

Ashley spoke "Let's take the hover-car."

JT nodded and with both the girls' help hoisted Tom into the open hover-car. Ashley took to the wheel and drove, nobody uttering a single word to break the silence.

* * *

"JT and I will take Tom up. You have to hide the car, Ashley" Priya said, tossing her Tom's communicator.

JT and Priya, backpacks on their shoulders, led a limp Tom between them, as they climbed up to the cave.

As soon as they entered, Eli and Julia came running with the kids in tow.

"Oh my God! What happened to Tom?" Julia gasped, as she helped to lay him on the floor.

"Where's Ashley?" Danny Eames, one of Max's friends asked. He seemed to have a small crush on her.

"She's gone to hide the hover-car that we stole from Kodos' guards." Eli and Julia broke into too many questions, when Priya spoke loudly "Guys, please, we have to help Tom."

This effectively silenced them. Julia asked how the injury happened and Priya told them of the guards hitting him with a phaser butt. Julia then felt Tom's head for any cracks. "There's just some swelling in his head. I don't think there's a fracture, hopefully" she muttered the last word to herself.

JT shrank away from them and walked to the opening of the cave. His hands were shaking and he dug them inside his pockets. He sat on the floor, leaning by the cave and stared into the distance.

About twenty minutes later Ashley entered the cave. She stopped dead when she saw Jim and slowly came up to him.

She sat next to him and when he didn't protest, lay her head on his shoulder. A long five minutes passed before she whispered "It's not your fault."

JT didn't even turn his head in her direction. He continued to stare into the distance when she tried again "Jay, don't blame yourself. I don't think any less of you for what you did. You did what you had to do and if you hadn't, you would've died! Please, don't blame yourself."

She turned to look straight at him, when JT said slowly "I can't change the fact that it happened. I can't change the fact that I _murdered _someone! What does that make me?" his voice rose and shook a little, angry and terrified in equal measure.

"It just means that you would do anything to protect us. You might not like it Jay, but I feel safe with you. I know you wouldn't let harm come our way, and I'm grateful" Ashley spoke low, looking straight at his eyes.

He turned to look at Ashley and she was startled to find moist blue eyes. Her heart broke when he whispered to her "Forgive me."

Tears glistened in her eyes "You don't need my forgiveness Jay, but I do forgive you, if it can make you feel better" she said and leaned to hug him. He gave in, hugging her tightly, face buried into the crook of her shoulders.

They sat like that for hours as the sun slowly set in the horizon.

* * *

_Star date: 2248.162_

Though only five days had passed since Tom's injury, it felt like weeks. Tom had come around and had had severe bruising with a killer headache, but it had been nothing to worry about.

They had been nearly out of food and had visited the lake again, only to find it surrounded by guards. With barely enough food and no water, they were dehydrated and had refrained from going out of their caves.

JT had been very silent since the day he had killed the guard. The others noticed this pretty quickly and asked about it to Ashley. She had told them the incident and they had understood. Nobody could have it in them to feel angry at him. Tom had developed a newfound respect to JT. JT had killed to save him after all and he felt he owed his life.

* * *

The days wore on and JT decided that they had to scavenge for food, consequences and risks be damned. They were all too starved to argue and had agreed readily.

JT came up with a plan to find the place where the 4000 survivors were being kept. Hopefully, they could find some sort of food and also find some answers to what was going on.

JT, Eli, Priya and Julia were agreed upon to travel to the city in their hover-cars. They had set off in two hover-cars and got to the city by the middle of the night. Guards patrolled the TCIA building and the streets were deserted. They edged their way closer when Eli said "Let's just stun everyone, grab hold of one of the guards and ask him where they are. I'm too drained to be doing stealth."

JT had agreed having no other plan in mind. When they got to the TCIA building, JT took out the phaser that the guard who had helped him escape had given and stunned the three unsuspecting guards patrolling the building. Only one of the guards remained who randomly shot in all directions, trying and failing to hit his assailants.

Julia threw a rock to one side of the guard to distract him, when JT and Eli nabbed him from the other direction. He yelled when Eli gave him a good kick to the shins, hands pinned behind him on the floor. JT straddled his back and asked him roughly, jostling him "Where are the survivors? Where has Kodos kept them?"

Even in his inescapable position, the guard sneered "You think I will answer a bunch of stupid kids?!"

"I _know_ you will answer a bunch of stupid kids! Let's not forget the phaser behind your back, shall we?" JT sneered as Eli pressed the phaser behind his back.

"What're you gonna do? Stun me? Go on!"

"Stun you?" JT laughed derisively "_Oh no_, I've got something better planned."

Saying so, he took out a knife hidden inside his socks and brought it close to the guards' face. Though initially he registered shock, he sneered again "You're joking!"

JT pressed the knife harder to his cheek and a thin cut traced it as the guard whimpered "Alright! They're kept in separate rooms in the Science and Research Facility. I swear!"

"Oh, I believe you" JT said, while nodding at Eli. He triggered the phaser, stunning the man underneath him.

JT got up as Eli said "Man, you were scary! Brilliant, but scary."

JT smiled smugly. The girls, who had been hiding behind bushes watching the whole thing, came running forward. "_God! _So, where to?" Priya asked.

* * *

They had made their way to the Science and Research building to find guards outside. It was not unexpected. What was unexpected was the thought that nearly 4000 people were all kept hostage in one building.

They had to get in and out within thirty minutes before the stunned guards could awaken and alert the rest of the guards.

They shot at the guards patrolling the building, when one of them suddenly held up his hands and yelled "Wait! Don't shoot! I'm on your side!"

JT stopped shooting and shared a look with Eli, who shook his head. This was interesting.

JT yelled back from his hiding place "How can I trust you?"

"I lost my son because of Kodos."

JT motioned for the others to stay in their place, as he jumped out of the bush and walked towards him.

The guard dropped his phaser rifle in a show of solidarity. JT didn't drop his phaser however as he slowly inched up to him. The guard spoke again "I can help you."

"What's your name?"

"Timothy Carson."

Jim blinked. He had heard that last name somewhere. "And your son?"

"Brian Carson."

Jim's insides ran cold. _Brian!_ He was Jim's classmate in Physics and Math. They weren't friends exactly but they had always got along fine.

Jim lowered his phaser. "What happened to Brian?"

The man's eyes welled up with tears. "He's dead" he said simply.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Carson. Brian was my classmate. I'm JT" Jim introduced himself as the man sniffled, wiping his eyes in his sleeve.

"You're JT! You were his Physics project partner, weren't you?"

Jim nodded. "It's good to meet you, son" he said, patting him on the back.

* * *

"I don't exactly know what is going on, son. All I do know is that the crops have been infected. Some fungus destroyed all the wheat that was to be harvested this month" Mr. Carson said.

"And Starfleet supplies didn't arrive, so we're out of food" Jim finished.

"_Didn't_ arrive? No, no. They arrived all right. They were one week later than scheduled, but they arrived just fine."

"_What?_" Jim asked incredulously. "But, it was on the news that they hadn't arrived yet!"

"The news reports are lying. Kodos made us swear to not tell it out. I didn't know why at first. I'm not one to question the higher-ups."

"But, that means there _is_ enough food for us!"

"No, son. There's enough food for only half of us. We've always depended on the wheat that we produce locally. That's what sustains us. The Starfleet supplies are just additional."

"So, why doesn't Kodos request Starfleet for more? Why does he decide to kill half of the population instead?"

"I wish I knew the answer to that" Mr. Carson said solemnly.

Jim blew out a breath. If Kodos showed his face right now, Jim was sure he would gouge out the madman's eyes.

The thirty minute-mark was almost up and he had to get going. "Mr. Carson. I have to get back to my friends. But, I have to ask this. Do you have any food to spare for us? Anything at all?"

The man looked at him for a long moment before giving in and sighing "Son, I'll try to smuggle some, but there's no promise of how much. I'll leave it someplace where there will be no guards around. You know of any place?"

* * *

The sirens wailed and a number of guards arrived from the TCIA. Jim thanked Mr. Carson and ran back to the bush where his friends were hiding. Eli hissed "JT, we have to run, quick!"

The four kids ran as fast as they could, slinking behind shadows, to their hover-cars and zoomed off into the distance, away from the TCIA and the guards who reported the intruders to Governor Kodos, himself.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you all for the alerts and faves. See y'all soon!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello everyone! Back with a short chapter. I wanted to make it longer but then today's my birthday XD! And I wanted to treat you all as a birthday gift from me! Thank you all my lovely favoriters and followers ;) Special thanks to Katiikiinz, the talks we have are just so damn funny and inspiring! A shout-out to her ongoing story **_**Escape From Sondara. **_**Check it out, guys!**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

_Star date: 2248.167_

"Here you go, Max" JT said as he handed a piece of stale bread to Max.

"What about you, JT?" Max asked, his eyes bright with fever.

"I'm not that hungry. Why don't you share with Danny?" JT said to the boy lying on the floor of the cave.

The man JT had met five days ago, Timothy Carson, had left them some food everyday as promised, a little over a mile from the city at the place where they hid their hover-cars when they had entered the city.

JT and the kids took turns to retrieve it. It wasn't much. There was only so much food you could smuggle out without being noticed. The food was actually only enough for two, but they managed to share amongst each other.

Max, JT's cousin, had contracted an infection which had led to a fever. They didn't have anything medical to combat against a fever and were resigned to proportioning more food to him, in hopes of riding out the fever.

JT was worried for his cousin. He didn't show it. But, if she noticed hard, she knew he always gave his food to him. It left little to her imagination to know how JT was surviving at all without any food. Ashley tried to give him half of hers, but he always refused. He said that he wasn't hungry, but Ashley knew it was a lie. He looked thinner than normal. As a matter of fact, all of them looked thinner and she could only wonder how she looked like.

Though she had lost sense of time, JT said it had only been fifteen days since this ordeal began. Ashley felt like it was weeks. She couldn't remember the last time she had had a full meal. All their stocks had completely run out and the lake in the Red Hills was always surrounded by guards making it impossible for them to scavenge for food.

Ashley had also noted that the wheat fields that they passed by to retrieve the food that Carson left for them were all dry and withered. It looked like it had been burnt and it couldn't have been by the sun alone. The weather had actually been chilly the past couple of days and she could tell a storm was coming. Hopefully, it would come sooner. At least they would get fresh water to drink if it rained.

* * *

_Star date: 2248.170_

The dark clouds had finally settled in, getting ready for the inevitable storm. The wind too had picked up speed and had left one too many trees devoid of leaves.

The twelve kids bundled into their blankets around a small fire crackling in the night. The night was quiet, save for a few chirping drenitii crickets.

The girls were talking amongst themselves about some fairy tale, discussing it with the kids. Tom commented occasionally to whatever they were talking about. Eli was on watch that night and JT had taken to sitting with him for company. The boys simply stared into the distance lost in their thoughts.

Suddenly, they heard a cracking twig. JT's head snapped to the right as he heard the sound, squinting in the darkness. Eli hissed "What was that?"

"Dunno" JT replied.

"Maybe we should get a closer look?" Eli suggested, and JT nodded. He took the knife he kept hidden in his sock and handed it to Eli as he himself drew out the phaser in his hand.

Setting it on stun, JT led the way followed by Eli. They stood behind the boulder on the entrance that served as a cover and watched for any incoming objects.

Thunder clapped above them and the lightning silhouetted a couple of men who were climbing up the hill towards their cave.

"Shit!" Eli hissed, his face tensed "JT, they're making their way up here! We can't allow them to see our place!"

"I know, I know!" JT whispered hurriedly, thinking hard. "Let's apprehend them before they get here. We'll question who they are first, okay? Come on, keep your knife where they can see it" JT whispered as he raised the phaser in his hand.

They walked up to them and JT fired close to their heels "Identify yourselves!" he yelled. The men stopped. A feminine voice spoke "Please, don't kill us."

It turned out that one of them was a woman and the man was her husband. They had somehow escaped the killing and had been out and about for fifteen days without food. They looked pale and gaunt, worse than them. At least, they had had food, somewhat.

The woman pleaded "Please, please lend us some food! We haven't eaten in days."

Jim truly felt sorry to turn them down. They already had to share food for two with twelve people. They really couldn't afford to feed two more. Just when he politely refused and came up with a lie that they didn't have any, the man spoke "Vanessa, these brats are lying! Look at them! They look well-fed. Let's just kill them and take their food!"

Eli yelped "What?!" when the man lunged at JT. JT squirmed away from his grip as the woman went for Eli. Eli slashed at her with his knife and in his nervousness, plunged it into her abdomen. The woman dropped to the floor, blood dribbling from her mouth and her wound as the man screamed in rage. He went for Eli when JT quickly set his phaser on kill and shot at the man. Though he regretted that it had to come to this, he didn't regret what he had done. He knew they would never be able to explain to the man that it was an accident.

Eli, however, looked visibly shaken, both by what he had done and by the look on the man's face when he had been sprinting towards him. JT went over to him and put a hand on Eli's shoulder who winced at the touch. "Are you okay?" JT asked and Eli nodded dumbly.

JT led Eli to the cave as their friends came running out. "What happened?" "We heard a phaser shot!"

JT explained the situation to them and made Eli sit down. He was still dumbfounded by what he had done.

JT asked for Tom's help to clear away the bodies outside. He agreed and so did Julia and Ashley. They got about digging a rough grave for the couple below the hill. It was hard work, but JT felt sorry for them and thought they deserved at least a proper grave.

* * *

Days passed by in a blur and the twelve children lived off of scavenged plants and a small amount of food left for them by a kind-hearted soul. They became thinner and weaker and the change in climate didn't help the situation with Max.

His fever worsened and he was descending into delirium induced by the fever. JT nearly never ate, preferring to give the whole of his portion of food to his cousin. The other kids too sacrificed some amount of their food for him. But, it was only inevitable that starvation overcome them.

* * *

_Star date: 2248.179_

Morning quickly enveloped them and the kids were gently waking up to the warmth of the rising sun in contrast to the gloomy weather the past days. It had been Priya's turn for watch and she sluggishly dragged herself along the cave to get some shut eye. Ashley, always the morning person that she was, woke up with the sun and spent some time taking watch. She was quietly thoughtful when she heard JT's voice growing louder "Wake up Max, please wake up."

Max's fever had been quite high the previous night and he had been muttering about phaser shots raining down upon them. They had covered him with their jackets and lullabied him to sleep. There was really nothing that they could do.

She rushed into the cave and gasped. JT was crouched down next to Max, whose eyes were closed and head lolled to the side. Julia was having a hand on JT's shoulder "JT, let him go. There's nothing you can do."

Ashley felt the floor drop beneath her and her feet swayed as her head felt light-headed. Her brain processed slower than ever and her mind could come up with only one answer to what was going on.

_Maxwell Rice, Jim's cousin, was dead._

She dumbly walked over to Jim who was still trying desperately to wake Max up.

"Max, buddy, _please_ wake up! I know you're faking sleep just to annoy me…" Ashley put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her as though she could magically wake his little cousin. She gave him a long look and JT's resolve broke as he sobbed into Max's head.

Nobody had it in them to separate him from his brother.

* * *

**A/N: I know! Such a depressing chapter, that too on my birthday! But, this is Tarsus and we know how it gets! See y'all soon!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_Star date: 2248.184_

Max's body was buried a little away from the grave for the couple who they had killed. A small tree bark made the headstone which read

_Maxwell Rice – A much loved son and brother. You will be sorely missed._

It was nothing much, but JT felt the need to not leave his grave unmarked.

The younger kids had also sobbed for the whole day. Not to mention Kevin, Max's best friend. He would rarely leave Julia's side, who had taken to unofficially adopting him as her little brother. The children took solace and comfort from one and other's presence and morale was subdued more than ever. They had even forgotten to scavenge for food in the nearby areas.

About four days and _very_ empty stomachs later, they were shaken out of their funk by the growing necessity for food. Thankfully, rain had showered upon them in the morning to provide them with at least fresh water to drink. It had given them some energy to continue to travel to the cave where Timothy Carson left them food every day.

* * *

They had traveled quietly throughout the trip and reached the cave to find no food. JT wasn't surprised, but even he had expected that after four days of starvation, they could welcome a good meal. Instead, all they had to face was a barren cave with cobwebs hanging above their head, and grumbling stomachs.

"Why hasn't he left us any food today?" Kevin asked timidly.

"I think he came back the next day to find that it hadn't been emptied. So he gave up on leaving any food at all" Tom said, saddened by the lack of food.

Just when things couldn't get any bleaker, they could hear sirens wailing in the distance.

"_Shit! _Move, move, _move!" _Eli hissed as the four boys and one girl ran out to get inside their hover cars. Priya was quickest and reached the hover car first when they could hear phaser fire and a yell from Priya as she dropped to the ground. JT grabbed hold of her around her waist and hoisted her up, Eli scrambling forward to help JT. More phaser fire was aimed in their direction making it impossible to get into their hover cars. They ran forward towards a small forest-like place nearby when the phaser fire ceased. It had been a plan to take away their hover cars from them.

* * *

The five kids ran a little slower, delving deeper into the woods, trying to get away from Kodos' men. After about five minutes they slowed to a halt and JT looked properly at Priya's face. Tears were streaming down her tanned cheeks as she fought hard to suppress any sound escaping her lips.

JT slowly lowered her to the ground and searched her body for the phaser wound. It was very obvious from the amount of blood seeping through her clothes. The wound had caught her squarely at her chest. JT made to apply pressure on her wound when her hand grazed his lightly stopping him. He looked at her and she shook her head ever so slightly.

JT blinked through tears in his eyes as he looked away for a second. It hadn't even been a week since Max died and now Priya too. His heart was sinking and he didn't have the words to comfort Priya in her final moments.

Tom could see through JT's inner struggle and mercifully knelt next to JT to try and help him.

Younger by about a year, Tom grabbed hold of Priya's hand as he looked steadily into her eyes, tears threatening to fall, but purposefully held back. "It's gonna be okay" his voice came out unexpectedly shaky making him click his mouth shut audibly. Priya's lips twitched and Tom could've sworn he felt her tighten her grip on his hand one final time before letting go. Her hand thudded to the ground, leaving the boys alone in the forest with only their grief for company.

* * *

The next half hour was spent burying Priya in a respectable grave. Kevin sobbed through the entire time, not having Julia to comfort him as she always did. The boys paid their final respects to their friend and discussed a way to get back home.

Without their hover cars they were terribly exposed, but they had no choice than to walk back up to their cave. They just had to make sure they covered their tracks and hid well.

Having been starved for five days with nothing but occasional sips of water was taxing to their tired bodies.

But don't they say determination is awakened to its fullest only when you have been stripped off everything. And determination did find them. The second loss to their tight-knit group hardened their resolve and made them determined to survive this ordeal, consequences be damned.

* * *

The trek back to their cave would take at least two days (three days without water) and nobody was in any hurry to tell the other of the grave news. They took their time hiking back, conserving their energy, having an occasional coconut if they could come by any.

Night fell upon them and they had to retreat beneath a small boulder for shade from the rain, and one person was always on watch. It proved to be hard, but they managed it, quite. They also made it a point to bring home some coconuts that they had been able to procure.

* * *

After two more days of hiking, and living only on coconuts, they finally, _finally_ reached their cave.

They made their way up the mountain when they saw someone running towards them from the distance. On coming closer, they saw that it was Julia. "_Oh my God! _You're okay! You made it! We were so worried! What happened?...Where's Priya?"

The four boys came to a shuddering halt. Julia gasped seeing just the looks on their faces and tears poured from her eyes. Before she could start outright sobbing however, Kevin came up to her "Julie! Pri's gone! Just like Max! Why is everyone leaving?" he sobbed, burying his face into her breast. Julia composed herself for Kevin and led him by his hand into the cave, speaking sweet words of comfort for only Kevin's ears.

The boys unloaded the coconuts they had been carrying and made way to rest for a while. That was when they noticed the absence of two more people in the cave.

Eli frowned "Where's Yui and Ashley?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

_Star date: 2248.184_

JT looked up from unloading his backpack so fast that they could practically hear the pop from his neck. "Where's Yui and Ashley?" he asked, echoing Eli much louder so that Julia could hear him. Julia turned around and the look in her face made JT's stomach drop. When she didn't answer, JT took two long strides forward and took hold of her arm and shook her lightly "Where _are_ they?"

Julia's eyes wandered around the cave as she said "They went looking for you guys, when you didn't turn up after so long."

"What?! When did they leave? How could you let them?" JT said anxiously.

"It's been one and a half days. I tried to stop them but all five of you were missing. We had no choice either, we were starving and they thought that they could try to get something to eat" Julia said, her eyes clouded with tears, worried for her two missing friends.

JT who had been filled with nervous anxiety, suddenly looked like something had cleared his head. His eyes, which minutes ago had been akin to a normal lost kid's, had taken on the fire that he would later show in the years to come.

"Alright. No point standing around and wasting time. Let's eat what we have now and get to business."

* * *

After a vaguely satisfying meal of coconut flesh and coconut water (the irony), the four older kids huddled into a group trying to come up with ways to search for their two lost friends. Out of the four younger ones, only Shannon seemed very uninterested in the proceedings of their discussion. Danny, Kevin and T'Val eagerly (T'Val was neutral) joined in with the older kids.

"We have to take all that we have here and move. No point going searching for the others and we wind up missing too" Julia said and Tom nodded.

But JT shook his head "No, we can't risk the kids. We'll be out in the open and it's best if they are safe here with someone" he said purposefully looking at Julia.

Julia's eyes widened "No way! Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I get to stay at home all the time" she said vehemently.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry" he said to Julia who shook it off. "Eli, will you stay back here? I know I can trust you to defend yourselves if the need arises*****" JT said, looking at Eli pleadingly.

"You can count on me, JT" Eli said with a nod of his head.

JT gave a small smile and nodded. "Okay people. I think we should be off now" JT said as he hoisted his backpack. It seemed pretty worn out after its heavy usage seeing that it had been new just a month ago.

* * *

Without their hover-cars, walking was no easy joke. They didn't even know where to start to search for their friends. Their first stop was the lake where they had first gathered water. The place had two guards on patrol. They effectively stunned them and filled their stomachs, making sure to collect some for them and the others in the cave. After about half an hour and delivering the water to Eli and the others back in the cave, they set off again in search of Ashley and Yui.

They aimlessly traced back the steps they had taken when traveling to the Square. They searched for clues or anything to find them, but it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

There was no point breaking into the homes either. Last time they did, they had done it to use any of the long-range comms to contact Starfleet using the Zeta code that JT had memorized from Kodos' computer. But as it turned out, electricity had been cut off to the city and any and every computer was worthless. No electricity also meant that even the little amount of food that had been stored in the refrigerators were all rotten now.

* * *

"God... Let's stop… for some… time" Julia wheezed, exhausted after four hours of incessant walking. Their empty stomachs did nothing to alleviate their misery.

"We can't stop in the middle of nowhere!" Tom said. "I'm so tired!" Julia said, slowing down in the barren land, under the midday sun.

"Let's find some shelter" JT said as he trudged forwards.

* * *

The three kids found shelter under a tree that they spotted after fifteen more minutes of walking. Their stomachs grumbled loudly but they were unable to find anything edible.

They sat down under the shade getting some much needed rest. Julia was propped against the trunk of the tree, her eyes closed.

Julia spoke without opening her eyes "Where do we look for them? It's nearly impossible JT" she said as she opened her eyes to look at him.

JT didn't reply. It was obvious that he had the same doubts, but he was not going to give up on them, judging by the look on his face.

Tom who had also been looking at JT said "Not to be a pessimist, but what if they'd been taken by Kodos' men?"

JT just sat there gazing into the distance. He had the same reservations as them too, but giving up meant confirming Ashley's and Yui's deaths. Not on _his_ watch.

Just then, they heard the sound of a shuttle flying close by and JT hissed "We need cover"

There was nothing to take cover with in the desert land, save for a few rocks and plants. They tried to run to the nearest boulder, but the shuttle started firing at them!

"Run!" JT yelled as they ran as fast as their weakened legs could carry them. One of the phaser fire got Tom's face as he yelled and fell to the floor.

JT who had almost reached to safety had two options: Save Tom and get caught or run for his life leaving Tom alone. There was not an inkling of doubt in his mind about what his choice should be.

He traced his steps and got to Tom "Tom! Tom, are you okay?" he said to his approaching back.

Julia too came rushing to him. When he came forward to look at Tom, all the blood drained from his face on seeing him.

Blood pooled from the socket of his eyes as he held both hands to it in an attempt to stave off the pain. He yelled in agony and JT felt nauseated on seeing all that blood and his heart constricted painfully on hearing him in pain.

He didn't even want to touch him; he felt too repulsed, but this was his best friend and he wasn't going to do that to him.

Julia shrieked on seeing Tom and JT sent a glare her way and she composed herself.

Before he could do anything to help Tom (he hadn't the slightest idea what) the shuttle that had been firing at them landed on the ground.

Julia yelled "JT, we have to go, come on!" she said as JT stood unmoving beside the now unconscious and barely alive Tom. "JT, we can't save him, let's go" she said as she tugged on his sleeve.

"No, we're not leaving, Tom's still alive Julie and I am _not_ abandoning him" he said forcefully. Julia looked worried but conceded as she too stood next to him waiting for her imminent doom.

* * *

Five of Kodos' men clambered out of the shuttle with phasers in hand. As soon as they got out, JT took out his phaser and fired at two of the guards who crumpled to the ground simultaneously pulling out the boot knife and thrusting it discreetly into his back pocket. But the men were faster as they reached them and knocked out the phaser from his hands. JT was bound and so was Julie.

"What do we do with this one?" one of the guards said pointing to Tom.

The leader of the group said "Carry him too. He's alive" and turned to leave for the shuttle.

JT didn't retaliate. He knew he was outnumbered and the wise thing to do was to concede. He got a glimpse of Julia's anxious face and felt sorry for her. He was sorry for himself too. He didn't think any of them were going to come out of this alive.

* * *

Their hands were bound with ropes behind their backs and led to the TCIA. JT made no move to escape. He didn't have any tricks up his sleeve (if you didn't count the boot knife).

The only idea that sprung to his mind was to somehow reach any computer. Being the government building all computers were most likely equipped with long-range comms and electricity was not an issue seeing as everything was perfectly functional here.

Tom was taken separately to some other place as he couldn't walk on his own. JT and Julia were herded forwards by the men and taken in an elevator to the Basement level.

Seeing as only two guards were in the elevator, JT decided to move. He felt for the knife in his back pocket all the while thanking the stars for assuming correctly that his hands would be bound behind his back and his quick thinking to put the knife in his pocket.

He took it out and held it with both hands. The two men on his sides and Julia on the front hadn't noticed a thing. Perfect.

He had to do it quickly and effectively to make this work seeing as he would never get a second chance. He took a deep breath as he turned to his right and thrust the knife with full force into the abdomen of the guard on his left. The other guard didn't even notice what was happening before he met with the same plight of his colleague. Julia screamed but seeing that JT was having the upper hand, wisely shut her mouth.

Both men dropped to the floor, blood pouring out from their wound. One of them was already unconscious as JT quickly managed to cut the rope binding his hands with the bloody knife.

As soon as he was free, he pulled out the guards' phasers and the other guard too went limp.

"_Shit_, JT! What were you thinking?" Julia said as JT quickly worked to cut her ropes. The elevator pinged open and the corridor was deserted. Interesting.

"Come on! We don't have much time" JT replied curtly and bolted out of the elevator. He tried to open any and every room that they passed by to no avail. Julia quickly retrieved the card key from the now dead guards and opened the first door. Why hadn't he thought of that?

Anyway, they entered the room, checking if there was anybody inside. Seeing as it was empty, they locked the door and quickly sat next to the computer on the middle of the office desk.

JT woke the computer up from its hibernation mode and was met with an unlocked computer. Perhaps the TCIA think they are impenetrable, or the occupant of their room must have left for a bathroom break. The latter seemed plausible as it heightened his senses. They must be back soon.

He quickly tuned in to the long-range comms and was met with a computer voice. "Please state your destination ID" the cool, mechanical voice answered. "Starfleet Command Zeta-175-22-45-Beta-Tarsus-IV-39-Governor-63" JT replied clearly.

"Destination line busy. Please record your voice message after the *beep* sound. Going to voice message" and then a long beep followed.

Jim cleared his throat. "My name is Jim Rice" he ignored the questioning look from Julia on hearing his full name let alone his real name.

He went on "I am a resident of the Earth Colony Tarsus IV and I am sending an official SOS. Governor Kodos has assassinated half of the population. Our crops have been destroyed by a fungus and there is a famine. We are being hunted down and killed. We are in mortal danger. We request immediate help from Starfleet. I repeat, we need your help!" he said urgently, injecting some emotion into the last sentence.

He cut off the transmission. Then he made sure to clear the call log history. Even if anybody checked, nobody will know about the call he made. All they had to do now was wait.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, the door to their room opened and a man entered. He took one look at them and yelled "Security!"

JT drew out his phaser and shot him unhesitatingly. The man crumpled to the floor. But the damage was already done.

Three guards came running along the corridor as JT and Julia exited the room. They spotted them and yelled "Stop!"

JT told Julia to run as they both tried to get inside the elevator which was on the opposite side of the corridor. But the elevator pinged open revealing more guards. They were trapped from both sides

* * *

JT took out his phaser again and shot one of the closest guards, when another guard shot JT's hand. He hissed as he dropped it to the floor. The shot had grazed the heel of his palm and it stung like acid. The four guards surrounded them as they were bound with handcuffs. They were then taken along the corridor to where they had been meant to go earlier. They walked for at least three minutes further down the corridor when they came to a halt outside a door. It was the same cell where he had been kept in previously and where Mike had been killed. The six meter wide room looked the same, but the two metal chairs that had been there earlier was missing. They were both pushed inside and the door was locked shut.

JT and Julia had no means of escape now and they both knew it.

* * *

Governor Kodos paced in his office cum suite on hearing the news of the capture of three more children. They had to be the kids that had been missed out during the initial round of assassinations. He also came to know that the same kid that had escaped capture in TCIA a few weeks ago was being held in the basement. That kid had some balls to do that. But Kodos was not going to chance anything now. He was going to make sure they were all contained and get information about the other kids and also what he had been doing in one of the staff's office. He made the decision to meet with the kid the next morning.

* * *

There was no window and they couldn't tell whether it was even the next day or not. Only a small vent gave them any air to breathe. Julia had fallen into a light sleep, but JT couldn't even if he tried. He was more alert than ever. The phaser wound on his palm had been wrapped haphazardly by a roll of gauze that a guard had tossed to him. His handcuffed hands didn't help. It had taken considerable effort from both Julia and him to tightly wrap the gauze around his hand. Even then, the bleeding hadn't stopped completely as the gauze turned red. They had not been given any food or water and his stomach had long stopped grumbling, resigned to its fate. He watched and waited for the next few days that were going to be hell.

* * *

More time passed as Julia woke up and JT finally went into an uncomfortable, light sleep, his handcuffed hands stretched out at awkward angles. Just as he felt like he had started to sleep he heard the sound of the door opening and he jolted awake. Governor Kodos himself entered the room flanked by two guards with phasers on either side. JT and Julia got up as they entered. JT gave a sideways glance at her and saw her panic as she edged behind him in fear.

JT feared for her and was determined to protect her in any way he could. He stood tall and looked Kodos straight in the eye.

Kodos grinned as he saw him. "Well, well, well. We meet again, James."

JT hated the look on his face. He swore "Fuck off!"

Kodos cackled "That mouth of yours will always get you in trouble, mind it."

He rubbed his hands together and said grinning "Well, let's get to work, shall we?"

* * *

_Star date: 2248.185_

"Let's start with this lovely girl. You are Ms. Julia Cunningham, are you not?" Kodos asked, looking at Julia, who was half-hidden behind JT. She merely nodded her head.

"Well, Ms. Julia, as I understand, you are part of the list of the survivors and so you have nothing to fear. You will not be killed, if… you can tell us the location of your other friends who are in hiding." Kodos said calmly.

Julia's eyes widened on realizing that Kodos knew about her friends. She didn't know what to answer and she looked at JT, who looked furious. He stared straight into her, daring her to tell the truth.

"Now, now, you don't have to look at James, Ms. Julia. I want an honest answer from you." Kodos said mildly. Julia replied in a small voice "I don't know who you're talking about".

Kodos grinned "Now we both know that's not true, don't we?" he said seemingly unfazed. "Maybe a little good ol' smacking ought to loosen your tongue, girl!"

"Don't you dare touch her!" JT hissed as he moved to stand in front of her protectively.

"Tut, tut, she's not yours to keep, James" he said as he signaled the guards behind him. One of them tried to pull Julia away when JT retaliated and landed a punch on his face with both his hands. The guard stumbled behind, but the second guard smacked JT's head hard. Julia screamed as JT fell, and the two guards whisked her away, as she yelled and kicked.

"No! Stop!" he yelled. His head throbbed and a trickle of blood ran down his forehead. He tried to get up and save her, but his vision was fuzzy and he could only see splashes of colors. He heard the door clang shut and gave in to the darkness surrounding him as he drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

After a long moment, JT stirred, the image of the guards taking away Julia still fresh in his mind. He couldn't even begin to fathom what they were doing to her. The corridors were silent, but even if Julia had screamed he wouldn't have known as he had been unconscious for god-knows-how-long.

He lay down on the floor again, tired without any food or water for hours on end.

Eventually, he fell asleep.

* * *

The door opened, waking JT up more effectively than alarms had his whole life. He turned around on the floor to see two guards entering the room carrying a bag full of something on their shoulders and a chair.

One of the guards, looking twice as tall as him and thrice as large, grabbed hold of JT's collar and hoisted him up with ease. The movement choked his throat and he gasped, but was quickly put down on the chair. JT coughed to relieve the strained muscles near his throat, when the huge guard tied his legs and torso to the chair. JT wondered what sort of punishment was awaiting him, when the second guard pulled out a knife from the bag. JT tried hard to not show fear in his face, but his heart was thumping furiously at the sight. Sweat rolled off his forehead, his body wasting precious water.

The second guard, who was rather average compared to the first and looked only about thirty years old rasped "What were you doing in one of the staff's office?"

JT remained dumb and it earned him a gash on his wrist. It was just a graze, not at all deep, but blood rolled off of it anyway. He hissed, but remained quiet. There was no way he was going to tell them what he had done. If they knew about it, he was sure that Kodos would somehow effectively make it look like it was some prank by a kid. And help might never reach them.

"Where are the other bastards?" the guard rasped as he cut near JT's forehead that had already been hurt from the smacking previously. The guard looked at the huge guy and said "Give it to this bastard!"

The huge guard came forward and punched JT's gut with such force, that his vision swam instantly. He coughed hard and tasted something metallic in his mouth. He spat the blood directly at the man's shoes (though he had aimed for his face). It only served to aggravate him further as he grabbed hold of the chair in which he was tied to and flung him across the room. JT's head smashed on the floor, and before he could cry out in pain, he drifted into unconsciousness again.

* * *

* This is an almost similar dialog from Chapter 8 which I'm sure y'all have forgotten by now XD. So did I actually, but I was reading back chapters for cross-checking and I surprised myself when I came upon the similar dialog.

**A/N:Thanks to all my followers and favoriters. This story is officially the first of mine with so much of love. Special thanks to my reviewers, you are close to my heart, because you take time out of your life to respond to me. God bless you kind souls! See y'all soon!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

_Star date: 2248.186_

He seemed to be floating in darkness; his senses were dulled and his brain was unable to coordinate with his muscles. He tried to open his eyes, but then realized that they were already open. So why was he unable to see? Had that guard smashed him on the floor _that_ hard? He tried to shake his head in an attempt to see better, but his movements were slow and pathetic, like he had just woken from a deep sleep.

He blinked repeatedly and some color filtered into his brain. Slowly, his vision returned to him as he inspected his surroundings. The guards had left, probably realizing that no more answers would come out of him if he was unconscious. The silence was deafening and he coughed just so his ears would have some sound to hear. His coughing, however, alerted somebody outside as the door was thrown open and a guard entered.

"You're awake are ya? Here's breakfast" he said as he brought a tray of food. Breakfast turned out to be two slices of stale bread and half a glass of water. He laid it on the floor and turned to leave. "How am I supposed to eat like this?" JT asked, perplexed and with a little too much sass. The guard turned round again to see him and JT was slightly pleased to see a scowl on his face. He didn't cut any of the ropes; instead he unlocked the handcuffs and put the tray on his lap. He watched as he hungrily devoured the food in a matter of seconds and within a minute the tray was clean. The guard took it away and spoke into his communicator as he left the room "He's awake, sir".

JT inwardly groaned. He would have slept longer if he had known what was coming. No point pretending now anyway, he thought as he heard footsteps coming closer. He mentally prepared himself for the worst.

Another guard entered and came to stand near JT. "Had a good night?" he sneered.

JT wondered how long he had been unconscious. Was it already the next day?

"Governor Kodos would like to interrogate you seeing as you've been very tight-lipped about your friends' location" he said as he signaled to the other guards.

They put on the handcuffs before untying him and frog-marched him out of the door. They took him to another cell further away from his and pushed him inside.

This cell was about the same as the one he'd been in. There was a lavatory on one corner of each cell, and had curtains drawn around them. Thank God for small blessings. But one side of the wall was made up of wires, separating one cell from another to keep other inmates. And the other inmates turned out to be Tom and Julia, Tom being his immediate neighbor. Both of their eyes widened but they refrained from saying anything.

The guards left the cell and JT, having no chairs, slid down the wall and sat on the floor furthest from the door.

As soon as the door was shut, both Julia and Tom erupted.

"_JT!_ Are you okay?"

"What happened to your face?"

JT spoke to Tom, whose face was half-covered with bandage "You alright man? I thought I wouldn't see you alive again!"

He shrugged "Hurt like a bitch, but they gave me some drugs and its manageable now. Thankfully, I was unconscious through the whole thing to notice"

JT nodded sadly and looked at Julia, who seemed unharmed, but her face was thinner than ever and so was her whole body.

"What did they do to you?" he asked her. "Kept me in a prison with bars and stuff. They questioned me, but I never said a thing. They left me in arm's reach of food, but I was tied down. Haven't had a sip of water to drink yet" she said, her voice less energetic than he had ever seen. He suddenly felt guilty. At least he had had _something_ that morning, but she had been starved for two days in a row now.

She then looked at him and asked "What happened to you after they took me?"

"Got smacked around and one _insane_ son of a bitch played with a knife on me. Mercifully, they slammed me to the floor and I was unconscious through the night."

Julia gasped but had nothing to add. They all needed comfort now and were unable to provide that to their friends.

After a moment, Julia asked in a small voice, seemingly frightened "What's gonna happen to us? What are we going to do?"

"Dunno" JT sighed. "Whatever happens, promise me you won't tell them the location of the others" he said.

Tom didn't hesitate "Promise." When Julia didn't answer, JT stared at her.

"What if we're dying? Even _then_?" she asked, and JT felt like he was dooming her.

"Promise me" he said again, gravely. Julia looked at him for a couple of seconds before nodding her head "Okay, I promise."

JT nodded and closed his eyes to rest a bit. The two slices of bread he had had fifteen minutes ago might as well have disappeared. His stomach grumbled and JT regretted having eaten at all. As long as his stomach had been empty the grumbling hadn't been a problem. But now that he had tantalized his stomach with food, it felt greedy and wanted more. It was one uncomfortable sensation, and sharp pains erupted on his upper abdomen as his stomach threw a tantrum. He mentally willed to stop the pain, but concentrating on his pain, elevated his awareness of it. So he tried a different tactic and diverted his thoughts - which was hard, as he could think of nothing but more torture that was to come.

* * *

After a long time (he couldn't keep track of the hours), footsteps approached and the door was flung open. Governor Kodos entered along with four guards who seemed to be half-carrying two more people between them.

They were none other than Yui and Ashley, looking tired and worn, hair messed up and clothes hanging too loose on their frame.

JT jumped to his feet on seeing them. Both of them had wide-eyed, fearful looks on their faces as soon as they saw that their friends had also been captured. The guards ushered them into Julia's cell and slammed the door shut. Two of the guards left the cell while the other two remained outside.

Kodos looked at JT and said sweetly "You see James? I won't kill you and your friends. I'm being good to you here and asking one last time: tell me where your friends are hidden."

"If you don't want to kill us, why do you want to know where they are anyway?" JT retorted, fueled by anger on seeing his smiling face.

"They are my people James. Surely, I can look after their well-being better than you do. Have you been able to give them at least two square meals a day? You're an incapable little weakling and you'll only get them killed. Look at your friend Mike. I, on the other hand, will feed them and keep them alive. Isn't that what you want? To keep them all alive and well-fed?"

"JT is more capable than _you_, you asshole! You killed off 4000 people for no goddamn reason-"

"Please refrain from speaking or I might as well have that other eye taken out too" Kodos interrupted Tom's outburst.

Tom shut his mouth, a flash of fear on his face, but he was nevertheless seething. JT glared daggers at Kodos, who started speaking again like nothing had interrupted his speech "So tell me JT. This is the last time I am being civil with you. If you don't cooperate, what my guards did to you earlier will seem like child's play compared to what is in store for you."

"Go to hell" JT said nonchalantly and turned his head to the side, indicating that he was done.

"Very well. If that's how you like it-" Kodos said and turned towards his guards.

They came forward, unlocked his handcuffed wrists and dragged him towards the wall. The wall had two thick, metal hooks above that he hadn't noticed before. They tied his hands to the hooks so that he was hanging from the hooks, about two feet above the ground almost like he was on a crucifixion. The ropes cut into his wrist, burning his skin and he bit his tongue to keep from screaming out in pain.

He got a glimpse of his friends who had all stood up when they saw what was being done to him. Ashley weakly called out to him, as she clung onto Julia in fear of what was going to happen.

A guard came up to him and punched him in the chest. Jim's breath was knocked off of him as his vision instantly went white. The sound of ribs cracking echoed through the cell.

Ashley sobbed "_Please_, no-" but Kodos silenced her "Quiet, girl."

The guard punched again, this time on his gut and it took all of his strength to not cry out.

"You can end this pain James. Just tell me where your friends are" Kodos said as the guard served a powerful blow to his right kneecap. Jim groaned unable to contain the sound that escaped his lips.

The guard slammed his gut again and Jim coughed hard as blood pooled in his mouth. He spat the blood and it took every ounce of strength as he sneered tauntingly "You wish."

That earned him a blow to his already aching arm, but mentally his mind rejoiced on that one small victory. Physically, his body hated him for having been unable to stop that mouth of his.

* * *

Ashley didn't have any more energy to cry. Tears seemed to have been emptied from her eyes long ago and she could not even lift her head up. She couldn't look at him, but she couldn't close her eyes either.

JT had long slipped into unconsciousness and Kodos had decided to call it a day. There was no point inflicting pain on him when he wouldn't be able to feel it and Kodos did feel some untoward glee on beating the crap out of this kid. So he had retired and left a limp JT hanging on the wall, blood dripping down his lips.

His plain, black T-shirt hid most of his injuries, but the bruises on his arms were visible in stark contrast to his pale skin. His khaki pants were soaked with blood near his right knee and it gently dripped on the floor. His eyes were closed but his whole face had a series of bruises scattered on it and the previous gash on his forehead had been reopened, blood staining his messed up fair hair that stuck to his face.

All in all, it was a terrible sight, and Ashley had tried to call out to him after Kodos had left. Although it was not unexpected, Ashley felt downhearted when there was not even a single twitch of his fingers as he remained unconscious.

She turned to look at Tom, who was bundled on the floor and staring at JT like he was seeing a ghost. He hadn't spoken a word since the guards had started torturing JT. Yui was curled up on the floor, and looked like she had cried herself to sleep, judging by the tear tracks on her face.

Ashley who had her head on Julia's shoulder, got up to look at Julia. She was looking into the distance, her eyes unfocused.

Ashley couldn't help but wonder how their lives had gone downhill so fast and how they were going to escape from this hellhole, _if_ they would even live through this at all to tomorrow.

* * *

_Star date: 2248.186_

Ashley woke up to the sound of the doors being opened yet again. She hadn't realized she had slept again, which was to be expected, it was almost one and a half days since she had a sip of water. She could hardly stand without feeling giddy and preferred to lie down.

A guard entered their cell and seeing Ashley was awake, yanked her up and dragged her out. The guard dragged her towards JT and let her go. "The Governor will be back soon". Saying so he closed the door and left.

Ashley immediately went over to JT and put her hand on his blood covered cheek. "Jay, wake up, please, it's me."

JT's eyes twitched but he didn't open them. She lightly slapped his cheek to get him to open his eyes. "Open up, come on" and he blearily opened his eyes, blinking them slowly.

"Ash-ley…" he whispered in a ragged voice.

"I'm so sorry I left the cave. It was stupid of me. I'm so sorry I got us into this" she whispered, clinging on to his shirt.

"'S okay. Would've happen'd sooner …or later" he mumbled, eyes unable to focus. "Ash… I've sent… SOS… to Starfleet. Keep holding on… for me. Help will come… soon" he whispered.

She nodded painfully "I'll try. I won't make any promises, but I'll try" she said. "What's gonna happen to you? How long can you keep quiet through all this, Jay? He might kill you if he keeps this up!"

"Doesn't matter. If he doesn't get anything out of me, I'm worried he'll go on to torture Tom and Julia next. I pray it doesn't come to that" he said and Ashley nodded.

"I love you. _So much_" Ashley said as she kissed his neck which was only the reachable part of him as he was hanging on the wall. Her hands roamed his back and JT felt her hands rest on his upper thigh. JT buried his face into her hair and whispered to the top of her head "I love you".

Just then the door opened and guards filtered in to the room. Two of them went over to Tom and dragged him out of the cell. Three more came up to Julia and Yui and frog-marched them away too. Ashley held on to JT in fear of what was coming now.

* * *

This time only Kodos entered the room. Ashley clung onto JT, her hands trembling in fear. He drew out a knife and brought it close to JT's cheek, caressing it in an almost fond way. Ashley yelled "No!" and got hold of his hands, trying to stop him. Kodos slapped her cheek with such force, he sent her stumbling to a corner in pain.

JT's breath hitched when she fell and Kodos' eyes narrowed. He plunged the knife into JT's left shoulder and dragged it, making a wide gash. Jim writhed in agony and yelled out, unable to stand the pain. Kodos said "I don't think that hurts as much as what I am going to do now". He went over to Ashley and grabbed a fistful of her hair. She screamed when he lifted her up and dragged her by the hair to stand three feet in front of JT. He put the bloody knife to her throat.

"Please don't, _please_-" JT begged, tears forming in his eyes.

"I won't if you tell me where the others are hiding" Kodos said calmly, holding a knife to Ashley's throat. There were two guards hovering in the shadows, watching the scene unfold.

"They-they're in a cave" JT said in a small voice. He knew he was done for. Kodos had exploited his weakness. _Ashley_. He knew he had to give up the answers now.

"Where?" Kodos questioned.

JT refrained from speaking and Kodos yelled for the first time _"Answer me!_" he said tightening the knife to Ashley's throat and jerking his grip on her. Ashley whimpered in pain but remained quiet, fear apparent on every inch of her face.

"Parava" JT breathed. The word seemed to echo in the room for a good two seconds, before it happened.

Kodos slit her throat and dropped her to the floor. Blood gushed out from her wound as her eyes froze, widened in fear.

JT heard someone yell "No!" but he couldn't be sure who it was. Maybe it was him. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. His mind went blank as darkness engulfed him, constricting and suffocating him and blood rushed down from his head. His heart seemed to give out as his eyes rolled back and the darkness sucked him in again.

* * *

**A/N: Leave me reviews. Thanks to my followers and reviewers. You made my day.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Keep track of the Star dates and hours for a better understanding of what is happening when :)**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

* * *

_Star date: 2248.186 – 0300 hours_

Captain Nensi Chandra had had a tiring day. They were preparing the USS Newton to respond to an SOS sent by what seemed to be a teenager from Tarsus IV, and from the Governor's comm signal no less.

As soon as the SOS had arrived at 0100 hours, the better part of the day had been spent trying to verify if it was a prank sent by some kid. The official records of Tarsus IV were scanned and nobody named Jim Rice had ever lived on the planet. But deeper probing showed the presence of the Rices, a family of three and one nephew, James Kirk who lived with them. It was the only possibility that had a slim chance of being true.

Calls had been made to Tarsus IV but officials there had said it must have been a false alarm as everything was in perfect order. They had let it rest after that but that night, Admiral Barnett received a call from his long-time friend's wife, Lieutenant Kirk, who had been in touch with him ever since that fateful day. She had been worried for her youngest son who was not responding to her calls and she could not even try to get in touch with anybody on the colony. This had alarm bells ringing in his head and he had sent the USS Newton to have a look, just in case.

And so, here they were, going through docking procedures and flight protocol in preparation for the journey to Tarsus IV, a seemingly backwater colony, that had been established only about three years ago.

His First Officer, Commander Howard Jenkins chimed "Captain, Engineering reports they are ready for launch."

Captain Chandra pressed a button on the console of his chair and announced in a tired voice. It was Gamma shift after all, his off-duty time and now they were busy on a mission. "All decks, this is your Captain speaking. Prepare for immediate departure."

"Course laid in, Captain" the officer at helm announced.

"Warp 3, punch it" Captain Chandra said, making himself comfortable in the Captain's chair.

The ship vibrated minutely as it shot to warp. The lieutenant occupying the Navigations console announced "Estimated arrival in 4 hours, sir."

"Noted" Captain Chandra said and stood up. "Commander Jenkins, to my ready room. I want heads of Medical and Security to be there too" he said and the Communications officer relayed the message to the concerned officers.

In about five minutes, all the requested people gathered in the Captain's ready room.

"Thank you for convening on such short notice" the Captain spoke as he traversed around the oval conference table to get to his chair. "As you might be aware, if you are reading any of my memos at all, we are on our way to the relatively new colony, Tarsus IV. It's been only a couple or more years since it has been established. twenty four hours ago, Admiral Barnett received a distress call from, apparently, a teenager. His name is James Kirk."

"_Kirk_? As in _George_ Kirk?" the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Phil Boyce exclaimed in surprise.

"It seems to be the case" Captain Chandra said and continued "He seems to be living with his Aunt and Uncle, since his mother is on a deep-space mission. But that is not the point."

Commander Jenkins continued "The point is the distress signal sent by little James Kirk stresses on mass murder that he says is currently happening in their colony."

The Security Chief sounded alarmed "_Mass murder?_ What is this, World War III?"

The security officer who had accompanied him said "Maybe, it's a prank. He's a kid after all."

The Captain chose to answer "That is what Command thought too, but his mother contacted Barnett saying she hadn't been able to reach anybody on the colony for a week. We made some calls, but their officers seem to think everything is normal. And notice this" he said, leaning in "the call was made directly to Admiral Barnett. That means he was using their colony Governor's comm channel. We verified it too to be sure."

The doctor spoke "How could a boy contact anybody using the Governor's private channel?"

"That is exactly what we want to know" Jenkins said.

"But, the officials at Tarsus did say everything was fine. Maybe, it's a very elaborate prank?" the security officer wondered, doubt coloring her voice.

"This is the message he sent."

Saying so, Jenkins tapped a few buttons and an audio message was heard throughout the room _"My name is Jim Rice."_

"Rice?" Boyce wondered aloud but the captain gestured him to wait.

The audio continued _"I am a resident of the Earth Colony Tarsus IV and I am sending an official SOS. Governor Kodos has assassinated half of the population. Our crops have been destroyed by a fungus and there is a famine. We are being hunted down and killed. We are in mortal danger. We request immediate help from Starfleet. I repeat, we need your help!"_

The audio recording stopped and the room went silent.

"That sure doesn't sound like a prank, Captain" the Security Chief said, a hint of worry in his voice.

"Why did the kid say his name was Rice?" Boyce asked, puzzled.

"It seems he was living with his Aunt and Uncle and had changed his name in the official Tarsus records. God knows, it must be hard for that kid to live with that name attached to him" Jenkins said, sympathetically.

"So, if we are going to believe whatever the kid says as the truth, there is a famine due to a fungus and the Governor's killing off people? Who _is_ that bastard?" Boyce asked vehemently.

Jenkins pulled up a holographic photo of the man as the Captain spoke "His name is Anton Kodos. He was a politician in the Brenyx Colony before he moved to Tarsus. He was appointed as the Governor of Tarsus IV on 2247.359. There's not much information on him. He is divorced and had a daughter. She was killed along with his ex-wife during some freak accident in Brenyx. That's about as much as we know about him."

The Security Chief said "If there really is a famine in Tarsus, wouldn't they have requested aid from Starfleet by now?"

Jenkins spoke "That is exactly the cause for our confusion. Starfleet sends supplies each year to the colony, the last one being during the start of this year. There had been no issues and the colony received them. Whatever happened there must have happened only after that."

Captain Chandra drew up their plan "We'll be reaching in a little more than three hours. I want Medical ready for accommodation of incoming patients. We can't be sure how many are suffering or injured so it's best to be prepared for the worst."

Dr. Boyce nodded "I'll see to that."

The Captain nodded at him before continuing "I want at least six search and rescue parties from Security. If contact with Tarsus proves fruitless, we will have to go in on foot."

The Security Chief nodded.

"Okay gentlemen, let's get -" the Captain could not finish his sentence as the entire ship pulled out of warp, knocking them on the floor.

"Captain, we're being fired by an unknown ship!" Communications Officer, Lt. Rita Harrows informed urgently through the comm channels to his ready room.

"On my way!" he yelled back.

"Jenkins, with me" the Captain said as everybody rushed to their posts. The Captain and First officer reached the bridge as Lt. Harrows announced "Captain, they're hailing us!"

_Looks like Tarsus will have to wait_, Captain Chandra thought as he settled in his chair.

* * *

_Star date: 2248.186 – 2200 hours_

"Send in three search parties. Scan the Parava hills. We're looking for about three or four children. I want the search to be successful and completed before dawn" Kodos said to two of his men.

One of them spoke up "Sir, shouldn't we just kill them? They are on the Negative list after all, save for that one Vulcan girl."

Kodos smiled, eyes glinting "Oh, I have something better planned for them. You just make sure you bring them here alive."

"Yes, sir" the guards answered in unison and left Kodos' office to himself.

Kodos walked back to his chair and sat down, thinking.

A knock on his door later, a guard entered. "Sir, 24 hours ago, Starfleet made a lot of calls to your communication wing. They seemed to think somebody sent a distress signal from our colony. The men in Communications smoothed it out, but I'm informing you sir, just in case. I would have come by sooner but I was unable to find you."

Kodos frowned. _A distress signal?_ Only somebody from the TCIA building could have sent that. But all his men were under threat of death. Maybe, someone had been bold enough to defy him, or…

Something snapped into place in Kodos' head. _That's what the kid must have done in that staff's office!_ Kodos felt triumph at figuring out the answer, but he quickly squashed it down. He was going to get up close and personal with that kid. God knows, how much he enjoyed playing with him. It wasn't like he had a lot of entertainment in this God-forbidden planet.

Kodos nodded at the guard to show he had understood and also as a dismissal. The guard left.

Kodos made his way to the basement where that James kid was being held.

* * *

_Star date: 2248.186 – 2130 hours_

It was quiet and the silence stifled him. He could hear the steady _drip, drip _of something, the sound magnified in the empty room. He felt hollow and exhausted. He couldn't open his eyes, let alone lift his head. After a supreme effort, he opened his eyes and blinked. It made no difference. The room was dark, its only source of light turned off at the moment. His nose was assaulted with the stench of blood that had congealed on his face. His arms were numb and he tried to move them. A clanking noise, made him aware of the shackles binding him to the wall. How did he get here?

The last thing he remembered was being in the cave with his kids. Somebody had been missing then. Who? Yui… and Ashley! They had gone searching for them. But they had been caught and put in this dungeon here. How long ago had that been? It could have been ages. But then he had seen them. Yui and Ashley, dragged in. They were put in this same room!

"Ash-ley…" he rasped, wondering if anybody was still in this room. "Ju-lie" he tried again. No response. So, he was well alone in this room. Where had they gone off to?

Think Jim, he told himself.

Ashley had come to him and the others were dragged elsewhere, leaving them both alone. They had talked, yes, about what, he didn't know. Then she had kissed him on the neck. He savored the feeling again, imagining it, as he couldn't quite remember how it had felt. Then… then, Kodos had come. Demanded for information… and… and killed her!

Realization dawned on him as tears trickled down his face. Ashley was dead, murdered in front of his eyes. A vivid image of Kodos slicing her throat floated in his mind, and a guttural moan escaped him. The look of fear on her eyes, when he had divulged the location to save her, had been in vain. He felt an intensely hot surge of anger course through him.

_Time was running out. For Kodos._

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I'm working on a short story at the moment. It's a sick!fic with the sick character being Kirk (obviously!). Check out my _tumblr_ link on my profile page for an excerpt. **

**This chapter required a lot of background work. Some canon faces are here namely Nensi Chandra and Phil Boyce. Check out Memory Alpha to know how they are canon after all. And, check out the new cover image for this story! Took an hour to customize _  
**

**The story is proving hard to write now that we're arriving to the climax. Some reviews would help me out ;)**

**Thanks to the people who have favorited or alerted my story. Special thanks to SilverNightfall for staying with this story from the beginning. See you soon :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

_Star date: 2248.186 – 2200 hours_

JT silently stayed as he was - it's not like he could move even if he wanted to anyway. Anger coursed through him but he did a remarkable job of holding it in. He was not going to let this affect him. He distracted himself from the anger he was feeling by taking stock of his injuries and silently plotting revenge.

Several minutes passed and after some time the door opened to allow Kodos, who smugly strolled over to JT. JT seethed but he stubbornly forced it down.

"Hello again, James. I see you're awake" Kodos said calmly striding over to stand close to JT. JT watched as Kodos simultaneously pocketed a knife. He put a hand to JT's bloodstained face and caressed his cheek. Instinctively, JT recoiled from the touch and snapped "Don't touch me!"

Kodos let his hand drop to his side and smiled wider "I must say, I thought killing your girlfriend would affect you more than what you are letting on. I'm amazed that you're still alive, let alone sane."

JT refused to grace him with an answer and settled to glaring daggers at him. Kodos however didn't seem perturbed and continued "Well, she wasn't anybody special James, nothing unlike you. She didn't even make it to the Positive list. You on the other hand are quite a piece of work. I went over your file, Jamie boy. Your scores and aptitudes in school are, quite literally, mind-blowing. We can't let it go to waste now can we?"

JT was quite certain he was going to scream when he heard Kodos say those words against Ashley. _She was hundred times the person Kodos was! Who was he to classify someone as worthy or unworthy? _But he wanted Kodos to keep talking to save his body some more of unnecessary hurt and so, with tremendous effort, he kept his mouth shut.

Kodos continued with his monologue "So, I've come up with a deal. _You_ will use that big, beautiful brain of yours along with some other geniuses to figure out how to eradicate this fungus. It is for the greater cause after all. You must want to save these people, isn't that right James? I know how much you have done to protect your kids. Think of my offer as a means to save them from certain death."

JT looked at Kodos, frowning. _Was Kodos really so dumb enough to ask me for help?_

After a minute of quiet contemplation, JT breathed "What's in it for me?"

Kodos looked gleeful "Your freedom. I'll let you go. Your injuries will be treated and you can get a nice comfy space for yourself complete with three square meals a day."

"And the other people? Those who you said will work with me? Do they get all these?"

Kodos frowned but instantly became his calm self "Why, of course! It could be arranged."

"And how do you know I will definitely be working for you instead of plotting something up against you?" JT said in a low, steady voice.

Kodos growled "I'd like to see you try! Just because you are free doesn't mean you won't be under my watch. You'll have security round the clock. Your every move will be monitored and you won't be able to contact anybody without my authorization."

"Then, I'd rather stay hanging on this wall instead. I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of working for you" JT said and turned his head to the side, indicating he was done.

Kodos grabbed hold of a tuft of his dirty, blood-soaked hair and pushed his head back against the wall "I wasn't giving you a choice, boy! You _will_ work for me. Accepting it when I'm polite enough just means you'll get the perks as a bonus."

JT looked Kodos straight in the eye and said with a smirk "Fuck you."

A resounding 'smack' echoed through the room as Kodos slapped his already cut cheek with such force, JT was sure his teeth had chattered. He spit out the blood that had accumulated in his mouth when he had accidentally bit his tongue to his side.

Kodos snarled "You're going to wish you had accepted it the first time, boy!"

Kodos delivered a strong blow to his abdomen and JT yelled in pain. He coughed up blood, but refrained from talking. His entire body hurt in places he couldn't even name and his empty stomach had drained him of energy days ago. Talking seemed like too much of an effort now.

Kodos unlocked the chains holding JT in place on the wall and like a puppet cut off from its strings, JT limply crumpled to the ground. He didn't have the strength to move, let alone turn over. Kodos grabbed his hand and forcefully dragged him across to the middle of the room.

He then straddled JT as he caught hold of his neck with both hands, slowly strangling him. Kodos rasped into his ear "I knew the first time I laid eyes on you, I would have to kill you myself. No matter that you were on the Positive list after all. You have an astounding way of pissing people off James Rice, and you're gonna learn your lesson. The bad part is, you might not live till the end of it."

Kodos squeezed harder and JT found himself struggling to breathe. He gasped and on instinct his thin hands made its way to relieve some of the pressure on his neck. He fumbled with Kodos' hands but his strength was nothing compared to the strong hands of Kodos.

JT gasped, trying and failing to take in shallow breaths and his lungs felt like they were on the cusp of shutting down for good.

_Was this it? Was this how he was going to die, at the hands of a homicidal madman?_ JT found himself looking at the slightly deranged face of Kodos taking malicious pleasure in ending his life.

Something snapped into place as he took his final glance of the psychopathic man before him. He had not killed men and gone through everything these past weeks to die now, when hopefully help was coming.

Strength from that thought propelled him as he pushed Kodos away from using his legs. Kodos rolled away from him to one side, looking stunned. JT coughed violently and looked at Kodos. He was surprised by his own strength, but he didn't pause to wonder and used it to his advantage.

With a surge of strength he didn't know he had, JT pounced on top of Kodos, quickly drawing the knife from Kodos' pocket that JT had seen earlier. He inwardly smiled ruefully. Kodos had made the greatest mistake by bringing it along today and not using it.

Kodos eyed the knife warily, a hint of fear in his eyes. "You don't want to become a killer now, JT. Trust me, it's not good for the conscience. I should know, I have experienced it after all" he said, a slight tremble in his voice - guilt or fear, JT would never know.

JT laughed mirthlessly "I am a killer. I've already killed more than half a dozen people. Your death won't mean anything to me."

He paused and nodded his head "No, I'm lying. Your death will probably take away any guilt I had in the first place. You deserve to die Kodos. You knew you had it coming."

Kodos nodded slowly, a smile playing on his lips. "What are you waiting for then? Go on, kill-" before Kodos could finish that sentence, JT had plunged the knife into his heart. Kodos' eyes widened in shock and he looked down at the hilt of the knife. His mouth was agape as he looked at JT with some kind of emotion in his eyes. JT pulled out the knife and blood poured out of the wound as Kodos' eyes rolled over and he hit the ground with a thud. JT didn't feel remorse for taking away his life. It was deserved after all.

The stench of the blood was too overpowering and JT violently retched. Nothing, not even bile came out and he immediately felt light-headed. He sat on the floor and tried to lie down on his back to ease the giddiness. He closed his eyes to stop his spinning head and tried to breathe calmly. Slowly, he drifted into oblivion.

* * *

_Star date: 2248.186 – 2100 hours_

"Captain, we have arrived at our destination" the helmsman announced to the bridge.

"Set course around the planet. Commander, I want the landing team assembled and ready to beam down in ten minutes" Captain Chandra announced followed by "Aye Captain" from the helmsman and his first officer.

Lt. Rita Harrows, Communications Officer spoke up "Captain, aren't we going to hail the colony first?"

"No, I don't think we should alert them to our presence. It's better if we determine the situation on our own."

The Comms officer nodded and resumed her work.

"Mr. Levy, you have the conn" the Captain announced to the helmsman and took off from the bridge along with the first officer.

* * *

The transporter room was filled with twenty two men, women and aliens from different fields. There were two Science officers including the Chief Science Officer, six Medical officers, eight Nurses and four Security officers.

The Captain gestured towards the Transporter Control officer "Ms. Morgan, beam down in fours, starting with security, science and then medical. We'll go in as last" he said gesturing to himself and his XO.

As people started to beam down, Captain Chandra contacted the Chief of Security "Mr. Trump, I hope your men are ready for the Search and Rescue efforts?"

Lt. Cmdr. Trump spoke through the comms "Yes, sir. As soon as you give us the go-ahead, we will be ready to beam down."

"Excellent" the Captain said and closed the comm. Commander Jenkins busied himself with alerting the Medical team to be on standby.

Finally, they were the only men left. They stepped onto the transporter pad and the Captain ordered "Energize!" Both of them disappeared amid swirling golden light.

* * *

After the initial checks by the Science men, the CSO announced that the plants were indeed infected with some sort of fungus that left the plants looking withered and burnt. Additionally, the entire area looked devoid of people and that was definitely not good. The Captain alerted the Search and Rescue teams to beam down and the next ten minutes were spent in deciding where each of the teams was to head off. After some thorough discussing using the map they had acquired from the Starfleet databases, they divided into six teams, each with its selection of medical and security officers and trudged off in their determined ways.

Commander Jenkins found himself in one of the groups and being the senior-most officer, led them along. They were one of two groups that made their way to the western part of the Capital.

Security officers moved along the periphery of the group as they inched closer to edges of the Capital Square.

The Square consisted of a ten-foot raised platform in the middle of a ten thousand square feet piece of rectangular land that was enclosed within walls. It had two huge gates on the western and eastern side that lead to the roads. Everything looked normal except for a very strong smell of blood and something rotten that loomed in the area.

"What is that smell?" One of the young nurses asked, covering her mouth and nose with her hand despite the face mask that everyone had been mandated to wear.

"It smells like blood" the bulky Security ensign spoke through his face mask. Jenkins looked around to see any sign of a body, but there were none.

"I'd hate to know what really happened here" the nurse said.

They reached the gate and were unsurprised to find it unlocked. It had been that way when they had entered through the Eastern gate. They moved forward as a group, when two security officers at the front of the group signaled for them to take cover. Everyone quickly dived for cover and waited for their signal. The five security officers and Commander Jenkins drew out their phasers as they moved ahead.

Jenkins noticed a large block of building, looking very much like the standard architecture used by Starfleet, looming ahead. Four men patrolled the entrance with phaser rifles in hand.

Jenkins said in a low voice "Set phasers to maximum stun. We're only going to drop them and gain entrance without making a scene. On my mark. One, two, _three!_"

The six men came out shooting at lightning speed and the four Tarsus guards had no chance of escape. They crumbled to the ground unaware of what or who had hit them.

The six moved to the entrance and two security officers did a thorough check of the area for cameras. Spotting three, they fired in quick succession at them. They made their way forward to the entrance of what was undoubtedly the TCIA – Tarsus Center for Internal Affairs.

One security officer swiped the card key of the guard he had dropped, thereby gaining entrance easily.

"Remember people. Stun all officials on sight. We can take them later for questioning" Jenkins ordered.

Once inside, all hell broke loose. The SaR team of the USS Newton had not been prepared to find about fifty unarmed men and women working inside the area like it was a regular day.

Before Jenkins could order his men to stand down, one of his own security officers had fired and people ran in a mad scramble. "Don't shoot! Stand down!" Jenkins shouted for his men to hear as he raised his hand and fired twice upwards. The sound silenced everybody in the room as each of them turned to look at the new group properly.

Jenkins took on his most authoritative tone as he said "Stand down! We're not here to harm. We're Starfleet."

Many exchanged puzzled glances but didn't speak a word.

"We're here because we received a distress call from your colony, something about mass murder and a famine. We're here to offer aid" he continued calmly.

One man, about thirty years of age walked forward timidly. "You're not going to kill us?"

Jenkins was shocked to say the least. "No, sir. Like I said, we're here to help."

The man nodded and many others acknowledged him with a nod, but seemed unwilling to move any further. "Are you all hostages?" Jenkins asked doubtfully.

Another woman, in her late forties came up to him "You could say that. The Governor left us alive, so we could do his dirty work for him."

Jenkins took out his comm "Captain, this is Commander Jenkins. We have about fifty suspected hostages, forced by the Governor to work for him. Awaiting orders, sir."

The comm unit crackled "Escort them with two security officers to the beam-up point. We're setting up camp here."

"Copy that, sir" Jenkins replied and shut his comm unit.

"Mendelev, Palmer, you heard the Captain. Wait till I give you the go-ahead out here. Take this people back where we came from. Keep an eye out for hostiles. Get some information out of them on the way if you can" Jenkins barked and the officers rushed to comply.

The people silently trickled out of the building, a few thanking Jenkins for saving them. Jenkins went up to Palmer, the bulky security ensign "Keep your eye on them. We can never know who the enemy is in alien territory."

Palmer nodded and headed off to wait outside the TCIA with Mendelev.

The others followed Jenkins as he made his way to the elevators. There were four floors above. The group of four went to the first floor and was met with guards who made to fire at them. But they were quicker and soon, all the guards in the building had been stunned and the civilians ushered outside.

Jenkins informed Palmer that they could leave when Palmer gave him some news "Sir, some of these people here are saying that there's a basement underneath the second block of the TCIA. It seems they've never been there and there's some colonists held in there for a while. The second block is also home to the Governor, so the place is swarming with guards. Best to drop everyone on sight, sir."

Jenkins appreciated this tidbit of information "Thank you, Palmer."

"Good luck, sir" Palmer said and the comm went silent.

* * *

_Star date: 2248.186 - 2300 hours_

As Palmer had forewarned, the second block was teeming with about thirty armed guards. Jenkins and team fired at point-blank range, stunning the guards. Jenkins was glad he had brought along some of the best officers with him. Soon, the building was filled with stunned guards lying haphazardly on the floor.

The second block of the TCIA had eight floors. It took considerable time to clear them all off the guards, two of his own men, succumbing to light injuries in the process.

The top floor was the most silent as it turned out to be the Governor's office suite. It was empty.

After almost two hours from their beam-down, they made the decision to head to the basement.

The basement was guarded by two men, who they quickly sent to the floor. Otherwise, the corridor was completely deserted. It had rooms branching off to the sides and they made sure to check each and every single one of them. The first three rooms were empty but the fourth one opened to reveal a teenage boy, curled up on the floor, obscure to the noise of them entering.

On closer inspection, he was a mess. He was so thin that they could see his bones jutting out of his flimsy skin. Blood stained his cheek, hands and legs and his clothes were torn in places and soiled. And worst of all, a dirty bandage was tied around his head over one of his eye, and they could only guess what had happened underneath it.

One of the security officers went up to him and felt for a pulse. "He's alive, but not for long. We need to call in Medical, ASAP."

Jenkins nodded and contacted the medical team that they had left waiting outside. He told them the precise location and in ten minutes they could hear the sound of boots marching towards them.

"What the hell happened in here?" the Medical officer about thirty-five years of age asked. "Do you realize the number of men out cold above?"

"Yes, I do, doctor. But it would be prudent to attend to this boy here. He is in desperate need of your help" Jenkins said and stepped aside. The doctor and nurses ran to get to the boy as they assessed him using their tricorders.

"Good God! He needs immediate medical help. We have to bring a shuttle. Transporting is too risky!" the doctor said urgently.

Jenkins nodded and commed the Bridge to get a shuttle to meet them at their determined location with medical officers and equipment. He asked the doctor and a nurse to stay with the boy and to wait till help arrived.

The rest of the team moved to search for more survivors. The next room opened to reveal two girls, tied to two sides of a table. They too looked like the boy from earlier, but thankfully, there was little less blood and no bandages. One of the nurses took it upon herself to look after them. Just then, Jenkins' comm sounded and fifteen minutes was spent in assisting the shuttle to land outside the building. The three children were taken along with the doctor and two nurses and the shuttle hitched back to the ship, promising to send another as backup.

The group entered the basement again. There was only one door left and they pushed it to enter. There was a large room divided in three by a mesh of wires. This room stank of blood, fresher and pungent. On the further side of the room, two bodies lay on the floor. One had a gaping hole on his chest where blood had rushed out completely, leaving his skin looking grey. The other looked worse than the boy from earlier, with almost every inch of his skinny body covered with cuts, bruises, lacerations and even knife wounds. The lone nurse, rushed to the boys' side to help. One of the security officers asked Jenkins "Sir, isn't that Kodos, the Governor?"

* * *

**A/N: I'm planning a sequel with six chapters. Whaddaya think? Would you want that? Thanks to all my new favoriters and followers. Leave me reviews if you enjoyed it.**

**See y'all soon!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

_Star date: 2248.187 – 0800 hours_

Captain Chandra exhaled a heavy sigh as he leaned back in his chair in his ready room. The PADD in his hand showed the various images that the Search and Rescue teams dispatched earlier had been able to capture. He perused the PADD again for the first report of the day – which predictably was written by his First Officer Jenkins.

_First Officer's Log – Star date – 2248.187_

_The USS Newton arrived on the Federation Colony Tarsus IV at 2100 hours on Star date - 2248.186. Upon the Captain's orders, a small party was beamed down to the colony to discern the situation. Since the colony appeared to have no visual of life and also as the presence of a deadly fungus infecting the plants were confirmed, the Captain ordered six search parties to scout the area for any sign of life. _

_Three search teams were able to identify the three buildings in which approximately 4350 survivors were kept in prison. They are acceptably healthy and have been accounted for and we have sent request for four starships to assist in transporting the survivors to Earth by 1800 hours today. _

_Two search teams were able to locate around 12 Vulcans in the suburbs, who had escaped the execution and survived on their own. Some were diagnosed with life-threatening injuries and are in treatment in the Newton's Medbay._

_One search team was able to penetrate the main complex of the TCIA and more than 100 survivors held hostage were rescued. The search team also confronted around 50 guards who were loyal to the Governor and had them neutralized and transported to the Newton's brig. _

_As an accurate estimate, 4517 persons have been found alive and accounted for. _

_The search team, after one of the hostages tipped off about a few survivors held in a basement by the Governor himself, scanned the building thoroughly to find four children alive, but unconscious with severe wounds, and also Governor Kodos himself, who appears to have been stabbed in the heart by one of the children. The children were transported through shuttle for treatment of their injuries and Governor Kodos' body has been sent to the Newton's Medbay for an autopsy._

_A medical camp has been set up in the colony itself to give thorough medical checkups to the survivors. Since the Newton's Mess Hall cannot accommodate the numbers of people, camps have been setup in the colony with plenty of food synthesizers, courtesy of our Chief Engineer to provide adequate sustenance. _

_End of Log._

_\- Commander Howard Jenkins_

Chandra sighed after reading the report. They had been working tirelessly since the moment they had arrived, the Klingon attack preceding their arrival notwithstanding. Chandra ruefully remembered that he hadn't got a wink of sleep in 48 hours and the effects were starting to show in his eyes. He rubbed his eyes in what felt like the hundredth time as he commed for his CMO.

"Dr. Boyce" he said by way of greeting.

"Captain" came the exhausted voice of his CMO. Chandra felt sorry for him. Medbay was overflowing with the number of patients that would fill up Starfleet Medical itself. He cursed Admiral Barnett in his head, who had sent one starship alone for this mission.

"Doctor, what is your status in the Medbay."

A huge sigh later "I have no idea what I'm doing. The camps down there are making each and every survivor to go through a full medical check-up. Almost seventy percent of the patients came out clean. They'd just need some good food in their bellies. God knows, what these people have had to endure. Twenty five percent are minor injuries or illnesses. They can be treated by my men in the planet itself. But the rest of the five percent have some major illnesses that require long term treatment. I hope we get our backup soon."

"What about those 12 Vulcans? And those four children?"

"The Vulcans didn't have any lasting effects. But the starvation did a number on them. It's going to be a long road to recovery for them. But what I don't understand is how the four children made it out alive after all. One of them took a phaser shot to his eye, and it looks like the other is going to die any time soon. He's in the beginning stage of multiple organ failure. We're doing all we can, but I'm not too sure, if I'll be able to save them" the doctor ended in a quiet, somber tone quite unlike his buoyant self.

The Captain nodded saying "Keep me posted, doctor. Mr. Levy informs me the USS Antares and USS Wolcott will be here any time now."

"Good. I hope they get here quicker. Boyce out."

* * *

_Star date: 2248.187 – 1400 hours_

"What have we found so far?" the Captain asked, by way of greeting as he stepped into the Conference room of the Newton. The meeting of the Senior Officers of the Newton, Antares and Wolcott was underway as his Chief Security Officer answered "The joint teams of Security did a thorough check of the systems in Tarsus. We ran them through for every single message that Kodos had sent or received. It's not much use as he does not seem to have had any outside help for this."

The Chief Science Officer of the Antares continued "Kodos was aware of the fungus that had somehow taken root in the colony. He ordered his Extra-terrestrial Agriculture and Terraforming Department in the Tarsus Science Facility to help develop a cure. The scientists developed a cross-breed of every kind of plant species in the colony. That's not too hard as there are only about twenty different kinds. The idea was that the cross-bred plants would have the fungus-resistant gene in them and when it reproduces with the infected plants, the gene would be dominant."

The Newton's CSO took over "It was a spectacular idea indeed. Given proper testing and research they could have created a revolutionary method in fighting off plant fungus as it is a much ignored subject compared to viruses. But as time was running out, they couldn't test their method effectively and had to directly put it to use. As it turned out, the fungus had spread faster than anticipated; Kodos had come to the decision to reduce the population in half as their supplies would not be enough to last the year."

The Captain of Antares spoke with a puzzled look "Why didn't he just inform Starfleet? Surely, Starfleet could have them evacuated?"

The Chief of Security of the Wolcott spoke "If he did so, sir, Starfleet would no doubt put him on trial for authorizing an untested experiment. He deemed it fit to take matters in his own hands. So, Kodos decided to kill the scientists involved in the experiment to prevent them from alerting Starfleet as they were the only men and women aware that their colony was dying. He then got the vote of some of his men to blindly carry out his orders. Which were to segregate the colony on the basis of eugenics – the ones fit to live and the others condemned to die."

The Captain of Wolcott, a man in his late fifties swore. They all nodded in agreement. It was the worst possible thing to happen to a colony.

Chandra asked with a curious expression "How did he kill them anyway?"

The Security Officer of Wolcott continued "The citizens of the colony got vaccines every trimester. He disguised euthanizing medicine and gave it specifically for the Negative list citizens. We're yet to find where they were buried" he said, grimacing.

The whole table remained silent as everyone was in their own mind, when after a full minute Commander Jenkins interrupted them out of their reverie.

"Sirs, the USS Endeavour and Odyssey are here" he said looking at his PADD.

Chandra got up "Alright, let's get to work. Thank you Captains, for assisting us" he said nodding as everyone walked out of the room.

* * *

After three hours of accounting every single survivor, they were transported onboard the USS Antares, Wolcott and Odyssey. The patients with mild to moderate injuries were transferred to the relatively old Antares and the severe patients were split among the Wolcott and Odyssey.

Out of the 16 survivors that were rescued, the sixteen who had to fend for their life unlike the others, fifteen of them were transferred to the Endeavor. Its large new Medbay was well prepared to handle them and relieve the Newton of the long two days they had had. Endeavor also graciously accommodated their prisoners in the brig.

USS Endeavor alone stayed behind with the Newton to assist in gathering enough evidence to present to Starfleet Command and also to locate the dead citizens of the colony.

By 1900 hours, Newton was relatively empty with only its own crew roaming the corridors. In the Medbay of the Newton, only one 'very critical' patient remained, tended to by three nurses.

Dr. Boyce had napped for a couple of hours and came back four hours before his shift. Dark bags hung from his eyes as he looked at the medical report of the boy lying on the bio-bed before him.

_Medical Report – Patient 124_

_Kirk, James, 16._

_Patient was brought in unconscious with the following injuries in order of severity._

_Pulmonary Contusion, Internal abdominal bleeding, Major liver injury, Minor spleen injury, Multiple broken ribs, Hairline fractures in skull, Damaged larynx, Deep laceration in left shoulder, Lacerations on both wrists, Numerous contusions, cuts and grazes, severe starvation and dehydration._

_Patient was put on life support systems to assist breathing after an episode of cardiac arrest. I.V drip has been administered and patient was taken for surgery. Internal bleeding was contained and treatment for liver injury through catheter is underway. Four of seven rounds of dermal regeneration were administered. Patient is in induced coma._

_Doctor in attendance: Dr. Elena Cornwall_

_Supervisor: Dr. Phil Boyce, CMO_

_Report written by Nurse Claire Thompson._

Boyce sighed as he looked at the pale boy, so alike his long lost friend. He was a bloody mess when he was brought to the ship via shuttle and had been rushed to the Intensive Care Unit where he'd experienced cardiac arrest. As soon as Boyce had glanced at his blood-stained face, he knew it was George's son and Boyce had been so desperate to make sure he would come out alive. After defibrillation and his heart had been revived, he had undergone treatment from his colleague and immediate junior Dr. Cornwall.

She was a sprightly woman of forty, five years younger to him. She had assisted him in performing the surgery to contain the internal bleeding in Jim's abdomen. After two hours in surgery, Dr. Cornwall had taken charge and relieved him so he could attend to other duties.

Nurse Thompson came to stand beside him "Doctor, his condition has not improved. His body lacks the ability to heal due to the malnourishment. His liver and spleen are going to need further surgeries for them to function. I fear for the worst." Claire Thompson was a young nurse, who had been assigned to monitor Jim round the clock. She was smart enough to know that the doctor had some form of connection with the injured kid.

Boyce frowned "How is his shoulder wound doing?"

"We managed to seal the wound after a couple of rounds of derma regen. I don't think we should do it any further. The wound was too deep, it needs to heal on its own so that it heals properly."

Boyce nodded absently as he looked at the scans showing Jim's vitals "He's not yet ready for another surgery. After four hours, ready or not, we'll take him in. It's only too long till his liver and spleen might start to fail. First, we'll have to deal with his ribs. Should be easy enough and it'll ease his pulmo contusion."

Nurse Thompson nodded "Yes, doctor. I'll get the osteo-regen."

She left to get the equipment and Boyce increased the pain medication that was going in through Jim's veins. Osteo-regeneration always hurt even when people were unconscious to feel it.

He looked again at the boy, various tubes and wires hooked up to him. Boyce reached out and pushed his dirty hair out of his face. He remembered just then that he had to inform Jim's mother about her son.

He left the boy and went to his office. He commed the Captain and asked for his permission to contact Winona Kirk. After his approval, he contacted Winona, who was currently aboard the USS Farragut.

"Lieutenant, patch me through to the Farragut, Lt. Winona Kirk" he spoke to the Communications officer.

"Standby."

A beat later, a beautiful woman, with white blonde hair and light blue eyes appeared on the screen. She didn't smile like she would usually do and acknowledged him "Phil. It's been a long time."

Boyce greeted her with a touch of sadness "Hello, Win. It's about your son."

* * *

**A/N: Such a quick update?! o_O There's another tropical storm (the last one wasn't even five days ago!) going on here, and so the Government declared a holiday. Yay!**

**I normally write this story as I go. No planning in my head, no writing down, no taking notes, nope, zip, nada. So, when I neared the ending, predictably I hit a wall. I had to tie in many loose ends that you guys probably wouldn't even remember by now XD. Thank God, for the 'Find' feature in MS Word. If you really probe my story, something happening in Chapter 4 also gets its due explanation here. I'm so proud of this fact B) It gives the impression I did my homework, when I didn't XD**

**Another thing, some may feel that Kodos doesn't seem too much of a bad guy in my fic than in other fanfics. All I can say is that, I always strive to find justification, a method in madness. I simply cannot tolerate something that happens for no damn reason. So, I gave enough justification for Kodos as to why he did what he did. If Kirk from the other fanfics, reads my story, he'll probably throttle me for justifying Kodos XD**

**Thanks for the faves and follows! Special thanks to Katiikiinz (xoxo to you!). The next chapter will completely be in Jim's POV and we'll get to see his mother visit. See y'all then!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

_Star date: 2248.194_

_An unexplainable feeling. Feels like being somewhere, but nowhere. Feels safe yet unable to put down caution. Feels like forever, though can't keep track of time. It feels like floating, yet sometimes it feels like nothing. Feels like… existing._

_Existing. Surviving. Alive._

_Alive… then, shouldn't I be breathing?_

He tried to take in a breath, but realized he couldn't. He started to get frustrated, frantically struggling to heave in a breath, to get some air inside his lungs. But something was obstructing him, something uncomfortable against the skin of his nose. He tried to touch it, but he couldn't move his hands.

_Come to think of it, I can't move anything._

Frustration turned to full blown panic as his heart raced from the adrenaline rushing in his blood. A loud wailing noise erupted and the shuffling of feet could be heard.

Sirens. That could only mean men were hot on their heels, coming for him. He struggled with all his might and was rewarded with the return of feeling in his hands. Yet, it wasn't enough to move them.

He heard movement around him and discordant voices.

"…through the roof!" "…it down….hypo…"

Fear gripped him as the feeling of helplessness threatened to overwhelm him. He felt his heart clench and a pang in his chest. Unable to endure the pain, he tried to call out for help. A muffled sort of yell escaped him, when quite suddenly, he experienced a sharp prick on the side of his neck.

Almost instantly, he felt the pain in his chest lessen to a somewhat bearable level. He wanted to see what was happening around him, but found that he couldn't. He was already slipping into unconsciousness.

* * *

"That was close. Any more increase in his heart rate, it might as well have stopped from the effort."

Nurse Thompson commented off-handedly to her colleague as she adjusted the I.V. She then took the data PADD on the table and noted the incident.

"At least, we know he can breathe on his own again" Nurse Donovan said as she removed the ventilator that had been hooked up to the boy. It wouldn't be necessary anymore.

"Yes, that is an improvement. I'll have to notify Dr. Boyce. He still has one more surgery pending and now that he's off the ventilator, it can be done soon enough" Thompson said as she helped Donovan remove the ventilator.

"Poor kid. Doesn't he have parents?" Donovan asked as she looked at the frail boy who looked nothing more than bones and flesh.

"His mother was notified. She'll be here in a couple of days. It would do well to finish his surgeries by then. No parent should see their child like this" Thompson said as she put on an oxygen face mask for her patient. His lungs weren't strong enough, and since he was taking shallow breaths, the oxygen mask would help.

Donovan nodded solemnly and left the ICU to attend to other patients. Thompson notified the CMO for prepping her patient for the spleen surgery. It was going to be another long two hours.

* * *

_Star date: 2248.196_

Commander Jenkins waited impatiently in the Shuttle Bay. He was waiting for the arrival of Lt. Winona Kirk, who had arranged for a shuttle from the Farragut. She was due to arrive any moment and Jenkins found himself unable to stop fidgeting.

It wasn't that he was nervous – far from that. He was a Commander after all and he outranked her, despite being of similar age.

No. He was _anxious_ to meet Lt. Winona Kirk, wife of _the_ George Kirk.

Jenkins had been around thirty years of age, a fresh-faced Lieutenant when it had happened. George Kirk being hailed a hero throughout the galaxy, pictures of his widowed wife and just-born son splayed across every news channel.

Jenkins had never married, out of a commitment to his job, and he had never been able to understand the plight of the widow. But he did sympathize for her; that was as much he was capable of. Now, he wondered how he was going to strike a conversation with the Lieutenant who would no doubt be in more grief for seeing her son this way.

Just when he was practicing internally how he was going to open his talk with her, the Shuttle Bay officer announced via comms audibly throughout the bay "Shuttle 29 of the USS Farragut arriving to Landing Platform 5C."

Jenkins steeled himself as he walked forward to the doors opening in the shuttle. He stood at ease waiting for the Lieutenant to step down.

His first thought of her was that she had aged compared to the pictures in the vids he had seen nearly fifteen years ago. That was to be expected after all. But, she had definitely aged well, with fewer lines on her face for a 45-year old woman. Her white blonde hair concealed any grays effectively, making her appear younger than her age. Her sharp, light blue eyes were slightly crinkled, emphasizing her intellect.

She walked forward and offered her hand to Jenkins, a tight smile on her face "Commander."

"Lt. Kirk. I hope your trip was uneventful" he said, shaking the offered hand.

She didn't reply, just nodded indicating she didn't want to waste time with small pleasantries. Jenkins picked up on it and said "Would you like to visit your room first?"

"Commander, my baby boy is fighting for his life. I've not come to enjoy my time here" she said sharply. Jenkins flushed lightly and nodded "I will escort you to Medbay. You can leave your belongings. I'll arrange them to be taken to your room."

He led her to the Medbay, and Jenkins dared not talk shop along their way. Once they reached the nearly empty Medbay, Jenkins asked for Dr. Boyce to one of the nurses. A couple of nurses hovered uncertainly, sneaking furtive glances at the new arrival. Boyce appeared a minute later from his office.

"Winona" he said, as soon as he recognized who was waiting for him. He spoke gently "How about you…"

Winona interrupted before Boyce could say anything to postpone her visit. "Phil, can I please see my son now?" she asked in an uncertain voice.

Boyce looked at her for a moment and sighed. "Yeah. Come with me."

Jenkins excused himself and left, not wanting to intrude mother and son.

* * *

Boyce led the way to the ICU and stopped outside the door. He turned to face Winona "Win, he looks worse than he really is. Please, are you sure…"

"Please, Phil" she said, in a tone of utter desperation that Boyce agreed. He pressed the code outside the door for authorized visitors only. The door whooshed open and he went inside. As he crossed the entrance, he heard the familiar faint whining of the decontamination force field surrounding the private room.

He stopped short at the side and waited for Winona. Nurse Thompson, who was sitting at a corner, with a data PADD in hand, looked up and quickly got up from her chair.

He looked at Winona who appeared, for an accurate description, like the walking dead. She stopped abruptly and stared at her boy in the bed, hooked up to an I.V and a catheter. His head was shaved and an oxygen mask covered his face. The sheet had been pulled down to reveal his bandaged abdomen and chest. One arm was resting on an osteo-regenerator, blue light glowing on his hand as it worked to stitch his bones.

Tears filled her eyes "Jimmy!" she whispered as she rushed forward to his side. She bent down to kiss her son's forehead, the only visible part of him that was touchable. She noticed that it was bruised and she made sure to kiss him tenderly. Her tears dripped down to his face as she ran her hand over his bald head. She wept harder as she grabbed his free hand, pleading to him "I'm so sorry, honey. I'm so sorry. This was all my fault. I should have stayed with you. Wake up, baby. I'm here, _please_ wake up."

Nurse Thompson felt her own eyes tearing up. She ached for the woman in front of her and made to console her when Dr. Boyce beat her to it.

He put his hand on her shoulder and tried to pull her away gently "Win, he's under a sedative, he can't hear you."

Winona shook away from his grip "No! I'm _not_ leaving him again!"

Boyce wanted to pull her away, to spare her this pain, but he knew better. "Okay, I'll be in my office" he said and nodded to his nurse. She quickly drew up her chair next to the woman and guided her to sit. She left the mother alone with her son and hurried out the door.

* * *

_Star date: 2248.195_

He could hear low voices conversing around him, but they made no sense, it was like listening to a different language. He felt a warm presence on his hand and he tried to touch it. His arm however was unable to comply and his movement was reduced to a slight twitch.

"Jim?" a familiar voice called out.

_Jim. Was that a name? Who was that?_

He couldn't place the voice to its owner and this confused him. He had to know who this person was, he had to remember, but he didn't, he couldn't. "Jim, are you awake?" the voice said again.

_He _was_ Jim._

Fear overtook him, when he realized he had forgotten something so very vital to him.

Jim tried to answer, when only a grunt escaped his lips and the woman seemed to have understood. "Open your eyes for me honey" she said and Jim found himself complying.

He opened his eyes and quickly shut them, overly bright lights burning his retinas. He tried opening them again slowly, blinking repeatedly to allow them to adjust to the light.

"Jim" the voice said again, measurably happier than earlier. Jim turned his head toward the voice and saw a blurry image of the woman.

After his vision adjusted, he looked up at the face of a middle-aged woman, tears in her eyes as she smiled down at him.

He tried to speak, but his throat was so parched, the burn from the effort to talk brought tears to his eyes.

"Do you want some water?" the woman asked and without waiting for an answer (thankfully), produced a cup of water with a straw. Jim leaned his head a little and sipped the lukewarm water. He closed his eyes in relief from his burning throat, when the woman gently tugged the cup away.

"That's enough, Jim" she said quietly as she placed the cup on a table.

Jim looked around at his surroundings. He seemed to be in some sort of medical building or ship. But, if the vibration from his back was any indication, he was in the Medbay of a starship.

He looked at her again and stared. The woman smiled as she kissed him tenderly.

Jim loved the warmth of her kiss and he felt safe with this unknown woman. He felt protected, yet he couldn't understand why some stranger was helping him. _Perhaps, she was a nurse?_ She _was_ wearing a blue Science uniform. That had to be it.

He wondered what nurse would go around kissing their patients, but he wasn't one to complain.

He tried to speak, and after a cough, asked in a rasping voice "Where am I, Nurse?"

The sound of something crashing on the floor made him jerk in surprise. He noticed that the nurse had dropped a PADD from her hand. But, the look on her face was utterly heart-wrenching.

She looked like she had lost someone and tears pooled in her eyes. Jim wondered if he had said something wrong and wanted to apologize. "I'm sorry… Did I say something wrong?" he whispered.

She gazed at him in fear and tears rolled down her face "Jim, don't you recognize me? I'm your mother."

* * *

**A/N: To most who wonder how Jim can forget his own mother's name, it is possible. I've done so much research on the internet regarding Post-traumatic memory loss and it does exist. I read a case-study and so here we are.**

**Thanks for the new followers. And also to more than 200 visitors who are sneaking around :) I appreciate that.**

**cyiusblack: I updated within 2 hours of your request! Whaddaya say?**

**Leave me reviews. Lord, knows I need some inspiration :(**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

_Star date: 2248.195_

Jim stared at the woman in front of him, claiming to be his mother. There was something familiar about her of course, but he never thought he could be related.

_Who was my mother? Do I even have one? _

He tried to think back, but found that he couldn't remember anything. Panicked, he blinked his eyes against the tears in confusion. Something felt very wrong with him.

Winona, who had watched her son's eyes wander uncertainly, immediately regretted her mistake. She shouldn't have expected him to remember anything as soon as he had woken up from a trauma injury to his head.

She quickly rushed to console him "It's okay, Jim. It doesn't matter."

"I can't remember anything" he whispered hoarsely. "Why can't I remember anything?" he asked again, almost to himself.

Winona's heart clenched painfully, but she refrained from answering. She didn't have an answer to that. She walked over to the bio-bed monitor and pressed the button to call the nurse.

Within ten seconds, the kindly face of Nurse Thompson popped into the room. "Did you need anything, ma'am?"

She looked again at Jim and tenderly kissed his forehead. "Rest, baby. You're alright. You're safe" she whispered for his ears alone and left him to have a talk with the nurse.

* * *

"Physically, his brain and skull has healed up to ninety-five percent. But, he had a very severe concussion and that could be the reason for his memory loss. We'll have to wait to see if it clears up within a couple or more days. If not, we'll have to scan him to check if there was any lasting effect because of his injury."

"Nurse, are you saying my baby boy's forgotten me? I'm his mother!" Winona's voice increased with every word.

"It's not permanent Mrs. Kirk. I am confident his memory will come back to him. Most concussion induced memory losses are always temporary. Please, don't distress him further. He must already be confused. Just talk to him how you normally would. That must help trigger his memory."

Winona nodded as she wiped her tears. "I can try" she conceded.

"Good, now that he's awake, I can do some basic tests" the nurse said as she led the way inside the closed room.

The nurse adjusted her lips to form a false smile as she entered the room "Hello Jim. How are you feeling today?" she asked cheerily.

"Where am I? Who are you? Who is that woman?" he asked in a low voice.

Nurse Thompson smiled genuinely now as she spoke without a pause. "You're onboard the USS Newton. I am Nurse Claire Thompson, but you can call me Claire or nurse, whatever you prefer. And, this by the way, is your mother, Jim. I know you can't quite remember, but you had a severe trauma injury to your head and your memory is all woozy. Can you tell me your full name?" she said as she checked his vitals from the bio-bed screen and scribbled something on her PADD.

Honestly, Jim was feeling like a truck had hit him. _Severe head trauma? How did that happen? And was this really his mom?_ Jim looked at Winona again. He didn't know how or why but the way she had behaved with him earlier and something in her face right then led him to believe that she might be his mom after all.

"Jim…Jim…I don't know" he said after giving a lot of thought. _Hasn't he always been just Jim?_

The nurse hummed thoughtfully as she took more notes. She then tapped the monitor to adjust his medications. "How about you rest for a while?" she said nonchalantly and then turning to his mother she said "I'll get Dr. Boyce. It's nothing serious, just a check-up" she added the last line when she saw Winona tense up. Saying so, the quite loquacious nurse left the room.

Winona walked forward uncertainly towards her son. She seemed unable to decide what to talk with him since he didn't seemed to remember even his relationship with her.

"It's okay, mom. You can come near me" Jim said with a twinkle in his eyes.

She smiled instinctively and sat next to him. She asked tentatively "Don't you remember anything, Jimmy?"

"I remember you're my mom, now. All I can't remember is how I came to be here in the first place" he said, quite frustrated at the situation he was in.

Winona gently encouraged him "Think Jim. Tell me something that you remember and we can work on from that."

Jim's eyes scrunched up in thought "Um…We, uh… we live in Iowa?" and Winona nodded.

"But then, somehow, I ended up on another planet, because…you were in space?"

"That's right, Jim. I'm in Starfleet."

"Yeah, yeah. Starfleet. I can remember that now. That's how… that's how my dad died."

Winona nodded sadly, putting her hand on his head as she gently stroked him.

"Something happened on the planet, mom. I can't remember anything except for running for my life from something" he whispered.

Winona remained silent as she gazed at him, not giving the answer. He'd have to figure it out on his own, if he needed his memory back.

Dr. Boyce entered the room with his nurse trailing behind. Winona moved out of the way saying "The doctor wants to check you, Jim. I'll be right here."

Jim gave her a small smile as the Doctor pulled up the reports and went about scanning him.

After pronouncing that he was progressing well, Jim found himself growing sleepy. The Nurse did something with the drip in his hand and within minutes, darkness overtook him.

"I've given him a mild sedative, Win. He's already exhausted and his body needs so much time to heal. We can never know. Maybe when he wakes up again, he might have his memory intact. I'm just warning you beforehand. He won't be this cooperative the next time he wakes" Boyce explained.

Winona nodded slowly, already feeling depressed that her son would need to be unconscious again.

"Win, you look terrible. Have you eaten since last night?" Boyce enquired worriedly.

Her silence spoke for itself. "I'll get a nurse to get you something" he said and Winona nodded gratefully. It was going to be a long day after all.

* * *

_Star date: 2248.196 – 2200 hours_

The news of the massacre in Tarsus was spreading like wildfire throughout the quadrant. People had erupted in outrage against Starfleet for appointing Kodos as the Governor. Though it was relatively out of Starfleet's hands, it did not stop the public for throwing wild accusations against Starfleet.

Meanwhile, the USS Newton and the USS Endeavor planned to stay for two more days in space, to collect samples of the fungus and to study its effects on the colony. It was also lingering to somehow locate the place where almost four thousand people had been buried. Starfleet was planning to build a memorial for the Tarsus casualties.

"Archer, you understand my situation, don't you?"

"Yes I do, Winona. The public is restless. They want to know the full story of what happened down there. And, Starfleet's neck is on the line here. It would do us some good, if we could propagate your son's heroism" Archer said, trying to get Winona to see reason.

"I don't give a rat's ass if Starfleet suffers or perishes this instant. My boy nearly died, Archer! I expect you and your precious media to respect that!"

Archer conceded solemnly "I do, more than you can imagine. I have no idea what he went through. I don't have a clue as to how your son survived. But he did, and he's proved he's George's son through and through."

"Then, you have to know how hard life is for him as it is. He already has this huge burden of being a Kirk. Hell, I know how hard that is myself. I don't wish for people look at him differently, to look at him as a killer of all things! It serves Kodos right. He deserved what he got for making Jim's life hell!"

Archer sighed, rubbing a hand on his forehead. He decided to try a different tactic "You know, one of the two girls who we rescued along with Jim from the prison. She came around a while ago. Seems that she kept asking to save JT from Kodos. Obviously, the staff had no idea who JT is, so they thought it was a byproduct of her hallucinations."

"What's on your mind?" Winona asked sharply, not taking the distraction in stride.

"We'll give the media the story of JT. He doesn't need to have a face. If the story is so spectacular, the people will be ready to swallow it. And Jim will be left alone from this fiasco. What do you say?"

Archer eyed Winona out of the corner of her eyes, looking hopeful. Winona seemed to chew on the thought. She looked askance at Archer and gave a small nod "Okay. But as a compromise, I want temporary leave to care for my son."

Archer seemed relieved that she had agreed at all that he decided to give in to any demand she made "Of course. We'll grant you paid leave for six months. And Starfleet will take care of Jim's educational needs for life after he recovers."

Winona didn't think six months would be enough to undo the damage done to Jim. But Archer was a hardass sometimes and it would always be wise to accept his decisions when he was in a rather good mood.

She replied "Thank you, sir" as graciously as she could to her commanding officer.

Just then, a soft moan could be heard coming from Jim's bed. Winona turned her head to the side to check on Jim. His eyes were scrunched up and he was sweating profusely. Probably a nightmare.

Archer had heard it too "Your boy needs you. I'll leave you to it, Winona. I hope he recovers soon."

And with that the comm link ended and Winona rose up and walked towards the bed.

Jim moaned again and mumbled something. Winona gently tried to rouse him but Jim yelled louder "Max! No, Max please don't be dead!" and Winona grew scared. He tossed and turned, his IV tube getting tangled in his arm.

"Jim, wake up. It's just a nightmare" she said, trying to wake him up.

Electric blue eyes flew open as he breathed heavily. One moment he looked at his mother confusedly and the next, Winona quickly held him up as he retched violently, bringing up nothing but bile. Winona rubbed his back soothingly as she whispered in his ear "It's just a nightmare Jim. You're okay…"

Jim buried his face into Winona and sobbed. Winona found herself crying when he said "Uncle David and Aunt Megan are gone. Max is gone. He's gone! They're dead!"

Winona sobbed on hearing her brother and his family had perished. She had clung onto the faint hope that they might have survived with the others, but even then her thoughts were entirely on Jim. Hearing that they were dead from her son was the final straw.

Winona was the one sobbing now and Jim held her to provide comfort for both him and her. They didn't realize how long they sat like that as they took comfort from the only family they had left.

* * *

**A/N: Jim hasn't gotten all his memories back, or what actually transpired in Tarsus. Which is the main reason, he seems very normal in this chapter. The next chapter may be slightly angsty when he gets all his memories back. Poor Winona!**

**Leave me reviews = faster update. Thanks to cyiusblack and Katiikiinz :) **


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

_Star date: 2248.197 – 0300 hours_

Winona was sleeping on a make-shift bed that had been propped next to Jim's in the ICU. She had refused to visit her assigned quarters and Dr. Boyce had conceded her request to stay with her son.

The rhythmic beeping of Jim's heart monitor had become so used to her that she had fallen asleep untroubled by the noise. But in the last few minutes, the sound was gradually increasing with lesser intervals between each beep. Winona found herself awakening wondering what on Earth was making that noise when she suddenly realized the meaning of it and jumped to her feet. Jim's heart rate was beeping too fast and he was thrashing about on his bed.

Before she could react, alarms blared as Jim's heart monitor increased at an alarming rate. Winona stared helplessly at Jim and made to comm someone when Nurse Thompson hurriedly entered and with one look at the monitor, quickly administered a hypo. The beeping reduced slowly and Jim was settling into a peaceful sleep.

"It's just a nightmare. We should be lucky. That only means that his memories are coming back to him." And with that, she left the room to a troubled Winona.

* * *

_Star date: 2248. 197 – 1100 hours_

"You must feel hungry Jim. Do you want something?"

"No"

"Are you sure? How about some soup?"

"I said no"

Winona sighed. She really hated the day she had taught Jim to say 'No'. It seemed like he was capable of no other word. The entire morning, Jim had not spoken to her. If the nurse asked him anything, he gave only monosyllabic answers. Sometime later, the doctor in attendance, Dr. Cornwall had come to give him a check-up. She seemed satisfied and had encouraged Winona to give him some liquid food. And that was how Winona found herself in the current situation.

"What's troubling you honey? You're awfully quiet today."

Jim didn't reply and settled with staring at the opposite wall. Winona tried again "Jim."

He looked at her without turning his head and said in a low voice "Do you know what I did?"

Winona looked at him dumbly unable to answer the question. _What was he getting at?_

"I killed people, mom!" Jim burst out in a trembling voice. "I killed so many I can't even remember how many I did. How can you still look at me?" he said in a gruff voice, the telltale signs of tears pooling in his eyes.

Winona sighed again and put her hand on his head, rubbing soothingly. She couldn't help but notice that he leaned to the touch and she felt an odd joy at the sight "Jim, you had to do what you had to do. There's no wrong in that."

It was true. She was never going to hold it against him for doing the unspeakable act of killing. Not once, but multiple times. She still looked at her son at times, when he was sleeping, looking completely weak and powerless in the bio-bed and it hurt her beyond belief. Not a day had passed without her shedding tears for her youngest who had gone through so much evil because she could not be there for him. She strongly believed the bastards deserved it for doing this to her son. She wasn't going to say all that to Jim. She would be setting too bad an example to him, who was more merciful than her.

Jim didn't seem to have listened, however. "But, that doesn't make me any different from Kodos. I didn't have to kill in the first place. I was in the Positive list. I could have left Kevin and Danny and Sha-" Jim froze. "Where are they? Are they okay? Did Starfleet get them? Oh my God! How could I forget? They need help-" he was cut short when he hissed, catching his side.

Winona quickly asked "What's wrong? Should I get someone?"

Since that morning Jim had shown signs of being in pain. It was either a headache or a deep pain in his abdomen. It had been another one of the reasons for Jim remaining glumly quiet. Dr. Cornwall had assured Winona that since when Jim had been hurt, he had been pumped with very potent pain-killers. But now as they were reducing the pain-relievers he was bound to feel uncomfortable. Jim let out a breath of air he had been holding. "It's fine. It's not that bad" he breathed. Winona doubtfully looked at him for a second longer and nodded. She continued their talk from a moment earlier "Boyce did say that three other children were rescued along with you" she said slowly.

Jim seemed to be in thought. "That leaves Eli and the kids. They're in a cave in the Parava. It's so well hidden. I should know, I chose the place myself. Can you please check with someone, mom? I need to know they are okay. They were depending on me."

Jim looked desperate and Winona agreed. "Okay, Jim. I can ask the ship's First Officer and try to check with the list of rescued people. Who should I look for?"

Jim grabbed a PADD from the bedside table. He typed in the five names and gave it to her. Winona promised to come back soon and left.

* * *

A buzz from the door could be heard and a tired voice answered "Come in."

Commander Jenkins had been notified prior to her visit. But he wasn't prepared to see the exhausted face of one Winona Kirk.

"Lieutenant. You said you wanted to see me?" Jenkins asked politely getting straight to the point. He had already learned his lesson with her.

"Yes, Commander" she said and nodded taking note of and appreciating what he was doing. "My son just remembered that he had five children with him besides the three you rescued. He said they were in hiding and he wanted to make sure if you got them out of it. Sir" she added, not wanting to seem rude.

Jenkins replied thoughtfully, ignoring the way she added 'Sir' as an afterthought "I could cross-check the names with the list of survivors we were able to rescue. Do you have them?"

Winona nodded and handed the PADD. Jenkins pulled up his own PADD and typed in the names, checking their database. His frown deepened every time he entered a name and finally he looked up "There's no record of anyone of these five having been saved. I'll have to talk with the Endeavor. They're having their men down there right now and might be able to track them" he spoke almost to himself.

He looked at Winona "Thank you for informing. I'll take the necessary action. Why don't you-"

Just then Winona's comm buzzed. Winona apologized and pulled it out. "Mrs. Kirk, your son just ruptured his appendix! We're taking him into surgery, stat!" Nurse Thompson informed hurriedly before closing the comm link.

Winona tensed as she hurriedly spoke "Thank you, sir. Do keep me informed" and with that left the room.

Jenkins stared at the closed door, wondering if he would ever have a full conversation with her, before getting on to the task in hand.

* * *

**A/N: A short chapter, more of a filler of sorts. I'm sorry, I've been busy. **

**Has anyone noticed what I just noticed? Jenkins and Winona? What the hell! I didn't even realize I was writing it that way. Tell me I'm not the only one seeing it. Or don't. I can't assure you I will expound on that in my story. It solely depends on my fingers doing the thinking here. **

**That being said, thank you awesome people for hitting 50 followers and 6000 views. You guys made my day!**

**Reviews = Faster + Longer update. **


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

_Star date: 2248.198 – 0900 hours_

"There were really five kids out there?" Jenkins asked incredulously.

"Yes sir. The Endeavor scoured the hills until they found them. One kid put up a good fight I heard. But somehow they managed to convince them that they were there to help. They're onboard the Endeavor being treated in their Medbay. Poor kids, looked like they hadn't eaten in weeks. One of them, a Vulcan girl, was already in a coma."

Jenkins exhaled heavily, running a hand over his face. This whole Tarsus incident was draining him physically and emotionally.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Harrows. Keep me informed" Jenkins said to their Communications officer before shutting off his comm link.

Jenkins pulled up the PADD he had been perusing earlier. The bodies of the massacred citizens of Tarsus had been located by the Newton's landing party. Now, that they had located the place where a memorial would be built and had also retrieved the kids, they didn't see any further need to stay here.

Jenkins informed the Captain about the situation and he agreed for them to pack up and leave Tarsus. After the Endeavor had also been duly informed, they agreed to depart by 1600 hours the same day.

* * *

Jim was asleep in the private room where he had been housed during the entire debacle. His appendicitis surgery had been performed successfully, though the doctor lamented not having recognized the symptoms earlier. He had been complaining of the ache in his abdomen but she had dusted it off as residual pain from the triple surgeries in his spleen and liver.

Now, Jim lay peacefully on the bio-bed, his steady vitals forming a comforting backdrop sound to his slow breathing. Winona entered the room and took stock of her son, blissfully unaware to his surroundings due to the anesthetics he was under.

She had just gotten word from Commander Jenkins that the kids Jim had talked about had been located and transported aboard the Endeavor. The oldest of them who was better off than the younger ones had recognized the other three kids who had been rescued along with Jim. They had repeatedly asked the commanding officers of the Endeavor if they had rescued JT, their friend and savior. But Winona had strictly asked Commander Jenkins to not reveal Jim's identity or his whereabouts.

Winona's reasons were many. The kids were sure to be interviewed by the media. They were the only survivors who had fought for their lives every single day along with her son, the twelve Vulcans being exceptions. But then, they were Vulcan adults and JT's ragtag group consisted of children. It was easy to guess who would win over the people's hearts. Already, JT's story was doing the rounds in every Federation channel, going so far as to hail him as the hero of Tarsus who killed Kodos, the Executioner. If the children became aware of Jim's identity, the media would too and she did not want that for her son. It was better that everybody thought JT was one of the victims to starvation than to find out that it was none other than George Kirk's son.

The thought sent a shudder through Winona's body. It still hurt to think that her son had been through all that.

Winona pulled up her usual chair and sat next to Jim. The lights were turned down to a minimum and the soft blue light made his skin look pale; not that he wasn't already. The light caught his blonde hair giving a golden glow. She noted idly how Jim's white blonde hair during his childhood that had been exactly her hair color had now darkened to a bronze gold, much like his dad.

Jim hadn't been very good-looking as a pre-teen (something she would never admit to anybody even under threat of death), but somehow as he was growing older, his face was taking on the handsome features of her long gone husband. A couple more years and she was positive he was going to end up too dashing for his own good.

She chuckled at the thought. She wondered if he would become a sweet, good boy like his dad or a fickle charmer like herself. She still couldn't find a person to settle down with. George was the best and last thing to happen to her. She had been ready to see her life with George as the 'forever' kind. _Look where that went_, she thought to herself. The only balm to her broken heart was her two lovely boys, though they were occasionally (frequently) a pain in her behind.

Sam had gotten in touch with her during the start of year and had informed her how he was doing in his college. Sam had reconciled with his mom as soon as he heard that she had divorced Frank. She made a mental note to inform Sam about Jim soon.

Just then, Jim breathed loudly and Winona watched him coming to consciousness. He blinked repeatedly as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He turned his head and saw Winona. He seemed to want to say something but no sound escaped him. Winona brought a glass of water to his lips and he drank it gratefully.

"What happened?" Jim asked blearily, finding it hard to concentrate on her.

"Appendicitis. Nearly gave me a heart attack when the nurse commed me for an emergency."

Jim's lips quirked as he attempted to smile. Winona smiled in spite of herself. Jim became serious as he asked "Did they find them?"

_Trust Jim to remember that even when under sedatives_, Winona thought ruefully.

"Yes, Jim. They did and they're all alive" she added when Jim opened his mouth to ask just that.

Jim noted how she used 'alive' and said slowly "I want to see them."

Winona sighed "You can't Jim. They're all aboard the Endeavor and we're at warp. We left Tarsus about thirty minutes ago."

"But, I can see them when we get back, right?" Jim asked hopefully.

Winona hated to refuse him but she had to "Jim, you _can't_ see them again. It's not safe."

"What do you mean it's not safe? They're my friends!" Jim breathed, unable to raise his voice even when he intended to.

"Jim, this is very complicated. There's a reason you can't see them. The entire Federation is eager to get their hands on anything related to you, or more specifically JT. If they find that JT is Jim Kirk, your life won't be the same again" she explained patiently.

Jim however, either due to his fuzzy brain or outright stubbornness, didn't seem to agree. "I don't care! I want to see them. They're my friends. I need to know how they're doing."

Winona sighed again. She seemed to be doing that a lot now. "Jim, you're not in a good state of mind to think about this right now. Sleep honey, we can talk about this later."

Jim was seething "You'd prefer not to talk about this at all."

Winona, who was already running on fumes since her last nap thirty hours ago, didn't have time to take any of his attitude. "That's right. You better listen to me on this one. It's for your own good, Jim. Do you think your mom didn't act with your best interests in mind when she decided on this?"

Jim muttered something under his breath, clearly frustrated. Winona didn't catch anything but she sternly said "I heard you, mister."

Jim huffed and turned his head to the side, closing his eyes and pretending to sleep.

Winona went to the attached restroom to change into her nightclothes. She would have to deal with Jim when they got back to Earth in six hours.

Though Dr. Boyce had advised her to continue Jim's treatment in Starfleet Medical, Winona had refused citing the impending media that were sure to be around in San Francisco. She had contacted her good friend in the Farragut who had given her the contact of her brother who was a physician in a hospital in Des Moines. It was definitely closer than 'Frisco to Riverside, and her friend's brother had already contacted Winona to get a hold of Jim's situation. After a lengthy talk with Dr. Boyce, he had agreed and informed that he would prepare everything for their arrival. Boyce had seemed satisfied with the doctor and had given the necessary papers to him.

She only hoped Jim would understand her decision. After all, didn't mothers know better?

* * *

**A/N: And that's a wrap!**

**Yes, I know I promised a longer update, but I thought this was a good place to end the story. Why? ****_Because there's a Sequel_****. Yay!  
**

**This chapter is dedicated to the lovely Samantha Kirk whose review made my day! Also to Katiikiinz for her support ;) Thanks to the guest reviewers and my followers and favoriters. **

**UPDATE: Sequel is up! Look up 'The Broken Road'**


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